Loving a Cursed Heart
by Cheetay
Summary: Arthur and Lukas made a terrible mistake that left them both cursed- one with a heart of fire and the other a heart of ice. One searches for a cure while the other crumbles and succumbs to another curse that is much harder to break. Can it be broken? (Bad Summary) Rated for minor violence and some swears. Eventual Dennor and USUK. Dragon!England and Magic!Norway. -BEING EDITED-
1. Prologue

****Sooo... I got this idea a long time ago while re-watching one of the Chronicles of Narnia and I thought "why not?" I don't plan on it being a very long story, but who knows. I'm still working out the specific plot and whatnot, but hopefully it's not too bad!****

****I don't own Hetalia~****

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**_Prologue: Made of Ice and Fire_**

The sun had just begun to slowly sink beyond the vast mountain range, bright rays slipping through the sharp peaks.

"So this is a dragon's horde…" a small voice spoke up in awe.

His companion, however, simply scanned the trove before them: millions of gold-made objects stretched high into the sky. The last sparkles of sunlight danced across the treasures, creating the illusion of them dancing as if made of fire.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Dull, deep green eyes met sharp, icy blue ones.

"You know I would not have come here had I no intention, Lukas." The taller sighed, "There is nothing more for me. It is my only option."

"Your life will become harder though, not easier" the shorter reminded.

"I do not care. I am destined to forever die and wish to fight my fate" the green-eyed blond argued. He then began his descent down the rocky outcrop.

Lukas sighed "There is still hope for you, you know, Art-"

"No there is not!" Arthur snapped, eyes flashing in the dim dusk night. "No one will _ever_ love me! I refuse to feel the agony of my death over and over again, Lukas!

Silence fell over the two as Arthur glared at Lukas, chest heaving as heavy breaths dissipated into the cooling air. Lukas just stared back, eyes emotionless.

"You're making a mistake, Arthu-"

"I am not" he growled, turning his back on the shorter blond. "You are destined to live forever without feeling anything in your heart of ice." Arthur snorted, grabbing at his shirt above the left half of his chest; above his hurting heart.

"I am to have this pain in my heart for the rest of eternity. Not even love can save me. True, pure love does not exist." His blazing eyes locked once more with his friends. "I am going to fight this curse with another."

Lukas let out a sigh, as if tired. "Du er gal…" he murmured, climbing down beside Arthur. "All I can do is wish you luck then, my friend… I promise to do my part to help you. This curse… shall be hard to break, however, due to the form you will take."

"I don't care" Arthur grumbled, almost childishly. He then blinked, eyes growing clear and trusting: "I know that if the time ever comes, you will be able to break it.

Crouching down, Arthur began to collect the enchanted gold treasure that belonged to a dragon long ago. Lukas stood over him, watching with no power to stop.

He cursed his icy, unfeeling heart. _'It's just something he has to do'_ he reminded himself, slowly turning away from his closest friend.

"One day" he murmured, glancing over his shoulder. "This will all end, min venn… And we can finally live happily, live truly." He bowed his head as gold dust began to swirl around Arthur. "I wish you luck and safety, Arthur."

"You too, Lukas."

His voice began to bend and crack, becoming like a deep snarl.

Walking away Lukas whispered: "I promise to help protect you, my dear friend, so long as I, too, am cursed." His voice did not crack, as his heart felt nothing as he left behind his one and only friend to the painful transformation that gripped him.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Their lives were never meant to take the severe turn it did.

Eight months ago, both Arthur and Lukas were students of a powerful sorceress. Both had a strong presence of magic about them, and once they reached the age of 18 they were finally accepted to hone and further strengthen their powers.

Six months ago, both agreed that the sorceress was going far too slow in her lessons and they were hungry for more advanced spells.

Three weeks later, the friends snuck into their teacher's library under the cover of night and stole a tome with attack and alteration spells.

That same night they headed deep into the woods and practiced a few of the more interesting looking spells.

And later that very same night, the two boys managed to set a tree on fire. And that fire spread to another tree. And another. And another, until the forest blazed.

Terrified, they had fled back to the student hut and hid the tome underneath the floorboard of their room. With scared eyes they pretended to sleep in their beds, praying and desperately hoping their teacher would not find out.

They apparently did not wish hard enough.

The next morning they awoke to the cold eyes of the sorceress, who held the stolen item inches from their noses.

"You want to learn magic that badly?" She asked, eyes darkening. "Do you have any idea what you two have caused? You burned down a whole forest. Killed off many animals and plants, _and_ a witches hut!

"You two need to be punished." She growled.

"In all due respects, teacher, we did nothing" Arthur had cut in, "We were in our rooms all night studying the animation spells you taught us." As if it would help their argument, Lukas whispered one of the spells and caused the table nearby to start crawling around like a lion.

The Sorceress just laughed, "First you steal, then you destroy, and finally you lie to me. If you boys do not wish to own up to your mistakes, then I have no choice but to punish you!"

She had then cursed them. The next thing Lukas remembered was waking up surrounded by the burnt forest, hearing a most dreadful scream of pain.

Arthur had been writhing in pain, clawing and ripping at the fabric above his left breast, letting out agonizingly painful cries.

Yet Lukas felt no grief; he felt no burning desire to help his friend or lessen his burden. He felt _nothing_. He could not even feel the fear of feeling nothing. He knew it was buzzing around in his brain, but he _felt nothing_. It was as if his heart was made of ice.

"It burns" Arthur had whimpered, seeking comfort in his friend. His green eyes were dilated, dark, and running with tears.

Lukas began to piece together what had happened as his friend slowly recovered from the attack; the sorceress had cursed their hearts. One to be made of ice, forever uncaring, and the other to be attacked by fire, forever punished. His mind desperately thought back to the spell, recalling only "until" and "true love."

But as the months wore on, and Lukas got used to his emotionless heart, Arthur's condition got worse and worse. Every attack was a little longer, a little hotter, a little more painful, and it was killing him inside. He couldn't handle the torture, which led them to today.

He decided he would rather become a cruel, aggressive, mindless, lonely dragon than search with his friend for the 'love' that would break the spell.

Now it was up to Lukas.

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**So how'd ya like the prologue? Constructive criticism would be very appreciated!**

****Translations (Norwegian):****

****Du er gal- You are nuts/crazy  
Min venn- My friend  
****

****Anyway thanks for reading, haha. See ya next time!****

_****~Cheetay****_


	2. Chapter One

**Okay, wow. I was _not_ expecting that many people to follow or faved this story. Thank you all so so so SO much, you have no idea how happy that made me and just how big of a grin it caused.  
So again, thank you all _SO_ much!  
**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

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**_Chapter One: A Sorcerer's Struggles_**

The afternoon light sprinkled in through the enchanted windows, dulling it so the interior was not bathed in the harsh light. This kept the home cool, ideal conditions for creating spells and potions.

It was a simple house, hidden from the outside world by a spell that made it look like an ancient tree. It consisted of three rooms: a bedroom, a workroom, and a storage room. Lukas had built it himself a long time ago, along with three others. Every few decades he would move to another of his houses, but for now he resided in this one. Each home identical- three rooms and a total of four windows.

The east and west window give nothing but a view of the surrounding forest and wildlife. The north window looks down into a valley where a small village was built a few decades ago.

Looking out the south window gives view to a sparse forest with a large, towering mountain visible in the distance. A mountain many locals call the "Mountain of Death" because few who venture out to climb it return.

The mountain used to scare children into behaving with claims that misbehaved children were sent there to be eaten by a monster.

A monster that none have seen and lived to tell about.

Except Lukas.

For that is the mountain of the dragon.

Arthur's mountain. Lukas' friend. The one who he promised to work hard on breaking a sorceress' curse so that he may break the dragon's spell and free his friend from his eternal pain.

And Lukas never broke his promise. He worked day and night for centuries, studying and perfecting spells that would revert Arthur back into a human. All he could do was wait; day after day, year after year, decade after decade, until five centuries finally rolled by.

Today Lukas had planned on taking one of his less-than-often visits to Arthur. Every visit the dragon became less and less coherent and more beast like. It was beginning to bother the sorcerer. If he could feel worry, he would undoubtedly be drowning in it.

Nonetheless, he began the long hike up to Arthur's mountain keep. The sun was high in the sky, but it took Lukas many hours to climb the mountain, and usually many more to locate the beast taking over his friend's mind.

OoOoOoOoOo

After locating Arthur's cave and finding no dragon, the short blond decided to explore while he awaited the beast's return.

He ventured to the very back of the cavern where the dragon would pile up the bones of his prey and intruders. The thought that his friend still showed signs of neatness in his current state would have amused Lukas, could he feel.

What bothered him was the pile appeared to have grow to twice the size it was on his last visit, and that there were considerably more human bones making up the large mound. Lukas feared what would happen if he did not turn Arthur human again soon.

The more beast like Arthur became meant more humans attacked, which could eventually reveal Arthur's presence.

Which would ultimately lead to Arthur's death.

A heavy thud brought Lukas out of his thoughts as his attention became focused on the beast entering the cave.

The dragon had scales that were as black as night in the shade, but would shine with a green hue in the sunlight and a silver glint in the moonlight. The spines rising from his back were a deep golden color, starting dark by his neck and slowly growing brighter as they moved to the tip of his tail.

The dragon caught scent of his intruder and turned to face him, a feral snarl escaping from his jaws. Undoubtedly he was preparing to scorch the intruder with his heated blaze.

Lukas gazed into the cold, bloodthirsty, hungry, savage green eyes. He mused that, if he could feel, fear would be the emotion to overpower him. Instead he stood calmly with a rather bored look on his face and spoke two simple words: "Husk meg."

The magic that coated his words wove its way into the dragon, and after a few moments the vicious snarls faded into halfhearted growls as recognition flooded back into the beast's eyes.

"Better now, cranky?" The sorcerer scoffed, moving closer to the dragon.

Large jaws opened in a yawn before closing with a huff. "The blasted curse gets stronger and stronger every day. I how much longer before it takes me over completely" Arthur growled, dropping his head to the ground before his friend.

"I have found a remedy to the dragon's curse, Arthur. You must simply tell me when to-"

"Unless" the former sorcerer student snarled, cutting off the blond, "you have found a cure for that cur Witch's spell, I will continue to gamble my identity away to the dragon."

His voice faltered before softening, "I appreciate all you do for me, my friend, but... I just cannot withstand that daily torture."

Lukas touched the dragon's snout, nodding. "No need to explain, Arthur. I will keep searching. Just survive and keep ahold of your identity. I am getting close, I can feel it."

"Are the villagers hunting you again, Lukas?" Arthur asked suddenly, his large eyes studying the worn-out frame of his only friend.

"Not hunting yet, no, but casing and harassing" he sighed, looking up to the dark, star speckled night. Every so often the villages would catch realize he was a sorcerer and attack him. He rarely did anything to provoke them, however. It was just human nature to distrust the outsider, and to displace anyone different from yourself.

His companion growled.

"I can handle them, though. They are small in number and young in age. Very easy to trick and scare off" quietly adding _'except one' _to himself, as Lukas recalled last night.

_"Come out and stand before me, you cowardly monster!" The tall man- no, a boy no more then nineteen years of age- sneered. He stalked around Lukas' hiding spot as if hunting prey, eyes darting through the dusk light in search for the sorcerer._

_"I know you're here!" He snarled, slashing branches of a tree in half with his sword._

_Lukas stared calmly at the boy whose weapon came within inches of severing his head from his body. His spell shimmered through the clearing, bending light around him as to make him invisible. _

_He stared into the child's enraged eyes, trying in vain to figure out why the boy loathed him so. He raked his brain but could not find a reason; he had never done any harm to this boy nor to his village._

_Something about the tall blond intrigued him, though, yet he couldn't pinpoint exactly what._

_"Come on dude, we should get back before nightfall. Tino's stewing venison." He boy's pale companion whined, ruby eyes flickering nervously in the pale light. With a frustrated grunt and halfhearted swipe to the foliage, the tall blond complied._

_Lukas silently watched the pair walk away. For some reason, he was drawn to the loud mouth's blue eyes and spiky, wild blond hair. Nothing stirred in his heart, however, but Lukas knew he desired to see and talk to the boy, and began to devise a plan..._

"Lukas!"

The sorcerer's head jerked up by the loud, booming voice. Clearing his throat he quickly apologized for losing focus. "I was thinking of a safe route home, so I may bypass the young villagers."

The mighty dragon narrowed his eyes but said nothing. He knew his friend was purposely not telling him something, which made him worry. Nothing could be done to open Lukas up when he desired to hold his tongue, so Arthur was simply left to wonder.

The sorcerer slowly made his way down the mountainside, keeping his ears open for signs of the troublesome teenagers.

Luck was apparently on his side and he made it home without incident by the time the moon was high in the sky.

And yet something didn't quite feel right to Lukas. Frowning he scanned his mind for a reason; he hadn't felt anything like this is a very long time, so what… why did he suddenly feel disappointed?

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next morning Lukas wove his way through the woods at a slow pace. His food storage was getting low and while he gathers most of the food from the forest itself, products such as cheese, coffee, and meat are easier to simply purchase from the village.

The only problem was those teenagers.

He pulled his hood up over his head to hid his blond locks and shade his eyes. He sent up a quick prayer to let him make his purchases without incident.

Because that's always how these things ended. Some villagers start to harass him at a distance but slowly grow more courageous to the point where they would attack him. He then had no other choice but to defend himself, angering the rest of the village and forcing him to move and go into hiding.

That also meant a while without things like coffee. Lukas would rather avoid that happening, especially when he was so close to cracking the sorceresses curse.

Shaking his head he quickly cleared away his thoughts and focused only on replenishing his food store.

He managed to buy his meat, coffee, and cheese without issue; he even decided to splurge and purchase a pastry for his walk home.

That's when everything went south.

The blond teenager spotted him exiting the pastry shop. Lukas didn't even had time to think before the teen initiated the game of chase. He broke through the outer foliage of the woods and swiftly deposited his bags of food in a hollowed tree before bolting farther into the woods.

No words were sent his way, the only sounds were the crashing footfalls of his pursuer.

Zigzagging through the trees Lukas finally found another hollowed tree trunk to duck into. He pressed his body in as deep as he could and tried to make himself as small as possible, and then focused on calming his breathing.

He was the mouse and he could hear the cat stalking around just outside the tree, pushing plants away carefully in his pursuit.

Lukas slowed his breathing further as the loudmouth slunk closer to his hiding spot. Finally, their eyes locked and a cruel grin spread over his tormentor's face.

"Caught ya, you slimy bastard."

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**So what did you think? Again, constructive criticism would be loved if you had any :)**

**All chapters will be about this long, if not a little longer. I want to keep them short because I don't want this story to drag on forever, especially when I don't have a perfect plot plan for this yet, ahaha...yeah.**

**I mentioned how much the follows and faves meant to me, but I also want to extend a nice, big, tight hug to all who reviewed.  
**

**ALSO, regarding Norway/Lukas' magic: In my mind, he can make anything he says into a spell by simply injecting magic into it. It just so happens that he prefers to say his spells in Norwegian because, well, I wanted to and I can.**

**Translations:  
Husk meg- Remember me  
**

**See y'all next time**

_**~Cheetay**_


	3. Chapter Two

**Hi again! It seems that this story is getting fairly popular, haha. It really makes me happy, seeing how many of you have favorited and followed this story! It puts a smile on my face and gives me the drive to write more~  
**

**Anyway, I don't own Hetalia-Enjoy!  
**

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**_Chapter Two: Plans and Complications_**

Arthur closed his eyes and threw his head into the air. This was one of the few times he loved being a dragon. He had complete control over his actions and he was free; soaring through the air like no one else could; enjoying the way the air moved and parted around him in his flight.

More and more he found himself trapped within the beast's mind, fully conscious of his actions yet at the same time not. It was like a dream where he floated in space with a projector screen in front of him, allowing him to see through the eyes of the beast.

What he saw often scared him. The fire that erupted from his jaws, burning humans and scorching bones; the blood that oozed from prey such as deer, mountain goat, and other creatures. The way it slowly seeped into the ground and painted it dark red.

He used to be able to fight for control, but that became harder and harder as the beast's mind took over more of his own.

Becoming a dragon and destroying his chances of living as a human once again.

He trusted Lukas, though, to take care of him even if he lost himself to the monster. If there was even a sliver of the real Arthur left, Lukas would find it.

The only problem was the other curse. Arthur would rather lose himself completely to a beast than to feel his heart catch fire daily, slowly bringing him to the brink of death before fading. The pain was beyond excruciating and it terrified Arthur more than morphing into a dragon forever.

Drawing out a long sigh, Arthur closed his eyes and folded his wings tight against his body, plummeting back down to earth.

The adrenaline that ran through his veins invigorated him, evaporating his worrying thoughts and focusing only on the feeling of his freefall. The wind blared loudly past him, whistling through his scales.

Finally, a few hundred feet from the ground, his wings shot out and he continued to glide back down to his cave. He could feel his mind retreating as the dragon took over. By the time he had landed, there was no Arthur left.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A hiss escaped from his mouth as his companion cleaned his wounds. Who would have guessed the scum knew how to fight?

"Ouch" Mathias hissed again as Tino continued to dress his injuries.

"Really Mathias, you gotta be more careful. You're real luck that none of them are deep, but why would you pick a fight with the woodsman?"

"He's not a 'woodsman' he's a witch- Ow!" He swatted away the pale hand poking at his injuries.

"Oh? You had a run in with a witch?" Gilbert snickered, retracting his arm to cross them over his chest.

"Yeah, I did!"

"Where's your tail then?" Feliciano asked, poking at his butt.

"Yeah, or the reptile scales?" Gilbert jumped in, poking his chest.

"Or cat eyes?" Antonio added.

Fingers forced themselves into his mouth and pried it open for a peek. "No frog tongue, either." Frances confirmed.**

"Okay okay I get it, alright?" Mathias shoved the blond away. "He didn't cast any spells on me or nothin', but he _is_ a witch!"

"And how do you know that?" Ludwig asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I've seen him! Hell, he probably didn't even have a knife on him! He probably used a spell to cut me like this!" Mathias cried, waving his sore arms.

"Well if I were him, I wouldda made the cuts deeper then. If it was as easy as castin' a spell" Berwald grunted.

The injured blond shot a glare at the taller blond. "You guys are all assholes. I'm tellin' ya, he's magic! That's why we could never find him."

He looked towards Gilbert for help, "Right? We'd see him and give chase and he'd just up and disappear!"

"Well I guess it would make some sense. You and me are the best trackers in the village, yet we would always lose him." Gilbert agreed, looking thoughtful.

"Or maybe he's just smarter then you two" Ludwig huffed, "Feliciano manages to evade you two."

"That's because he's a fast scaredy-cat" Francis argued, shaking his head, "He and his brother don't count."

"Ve…"

"Yeah, Gilbert and Mathias can track any of us through the woods because we try and hide, Feli and Lovi just run" Antonio finally spoke up, nodding in agreement.

"Well he definitely ain't fast! He hides by casting spells, I'm tellin' ya!"

"Alright Mathias, we'll take your word for it" Tino finally replied, appeasing the loud blond. "But he's not bothering the village—and before you say he attacked you, remember _you_ provoked him first."

Mathias pouted, realizing he had to get more concrete proof for any of his friends to believe him.

Then an idea struck him. If he could figure out where the witch lived, then he could bring everyone there and they could see for themselves what a danger he was! It was perfect. Now Mathias just had to plan out how he would do it…

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A merry tune could be heard whistling through the forest. Yes sir, Alfred was one happy guy: his axe resting lightly on broad shoulders, a spring in his step, and a song in his heart. The day was beautiful and the forest was peaceful.

While originally from a village southeast of here, Alfred had the soul of an explorer and decided to venture away from his home in search of adventure by circling the mountain.

Around his waist were necessary survival tools such as a hunting knife, a hammer, and of course the holder for his axe. On his back he carried rope, a hammock, fire starters, extra clothes, a few emergency food provisions, and a small first-aid kit consisting of disinfectants, salves, and bandage wraps.

He was excited to visit the nearby village, especially because he hadn't had any human contact since he left home three weeks ago. Four days into his journey he almost turned back because of that reason- Alfred was social by nature- but toughed it out.

He was glad he did; the land around the mountain base was beautiful and invigorating. The seventeen year old finally felt like a man.

He started to whistle another tune when he heard a soft groan from the nearby foliage. It sounded almost like an injured animal, but at the same time sounded human. Being the hero he was Alfred quickly investigated.

What he saw shocked him: battered, bruised, and bloodied a small blond lay hidden in the undergrowth. Their eyes met and the stranger immediately positioned a knife in front of his body in a threatening manner.

He paid no mind, though, and reached for the other. "Whoa, you alright du-"

The knife flashed inches from his face, cutting off his movements and voice as he jumped back.

"What the heck man?"

"Stay away" the small man hissed, eyes showing no sign of fear or pain.

Confused, Alfred shifted towards him yet again "You look like shit dude, lemme help you."

The other man fell silent as if considering his offer. His muscles were tense, he felt no pain, yet he knew he was injured and needed to treat himself quickly.

"_Vil du hjelpe meg_?" Lukas whispered, injecting a bit of magic into his words to test the truth of the stranger's offer. He's never seen this man before, but that doesn't mean he could be trusted. Lukas had to be careful not to get injured further- or worse, die. He had a responsibility and if he was gone Arthur was doomed. He had to be sure the stranger truly meant no harm.

Alfred's eyes clouded over in confusion and unknowingly responded to the enchanted question: "What do you mean? Of course I will."

Lowering the knife the sorcerer nodded, giving the other man permission to help him stand up and support his trembling muscles.

"Do you live in the nearby village?"

"No." Lukas grunted, struggling to support his own weight. "I live in the woods. My hut is about a kilometer south of here."

Not to mention the supplies he had stashed on the outskirts of the woods. There was no telling if they were still here anyway, humans or animals could have easily pillaged it.

"Alright" was all Alfred said as he assisted the smaller male. It would take a while to reach the hut.

OoOoOoOoOo

"I will be alright from here" Lukas spoke, pulling out of the stranger's grip.

Alfred looked confused, "What do you mean? Don't you want help cleaning and wrapping your wounds?" A long pause followed his question.

"Fine" he finally replied, whispering "_vis deg_" under his breath as he continued forward. After another turn through the woods Lukas' home came into view, the spells hiding it had been lifted.

"Wow, it looks pretty old" the other commented, helping Lukas in.

"It was built a while ago, but it's solid and cozy" he murmured, landing heavily in a wooden chair. "Go into that room" he nodded to the left "And grab my first aid kit. It should be in the drawer to the left of the bed."

Following the sorcerer's directions Alfred quickly acquired the kit and went to work. Lukas stayed quiet during the ordeal; he could feel the sting of each wound, but the pain barely registered.

It was weird, really. When he first got cursed Lukas could still easily feel anything physical that happened to him. Yet as time went on, even that ability was dulled. It bothered him.

"How'd this stuff happen, anyway?" Alfred asked, curiosity getting the better of him mas he observed the large splotches of bruising on the pasty torso.

"Had a rough night" was all Lukas said, carefully watching the teenager.

Alfred laughed "Alright I won't press. But" his eyes sparkled "I have a question for you."

Blank blue eyes blinked at the bright blue. He said nothing but motioned for the other to continue.

"I've heard rumors that there's a dragon living in those mountains" he pointed to the south window. "You know anything about that?"

Lukas felt his blood run cold even though his face revealed nothing.

"Where did you hear that?"

"It's a rumor I heard on my journey" he answered. "Plus, no one who goes up in the mountains ever returns. There are stories that go back centuries about a dragon living in the mountain, too.

"Apparently, 600 years ago, someone managed to kill the dragon and the mysterious disappearance stopped for a few centuries." Alfred continued, sounding really excited. "But they've been happening more and more over the past century."

Lukas scoffed "You don't really believe in dragons, do you?" '_Please say no'_.

"I dunno" Alfred answered, a grin flashing over his face "but I plan to find out!"

* * *

**Hope this chapter was good! Remember to leave a review if you have a question, piece of advise, etc!**

**Also! I got an anonymous review from a visitor Nekomaki last chapter, and I would just like to apologize to you! I feel really bad for messing up Norwegian grammar, but I don't know anyone who speaks the language and have to rely on Google Translate- though I do try and check other translation sites and such- and I wish I didn't have to but I haven't been able to find a book on Norwegian Grammar at my local bookstores, let alone an English-Norwegian dictionary! Again I apologize, but thank you so much for pointing out my error last chapter!**

**Hopefully I got them right this time:**

**"Vil du hjelpe meg" translates to 'Will you help me?'...I originally wanted it to be something different but didn't want to ruin/butcher the language again. And it still works.  
"Vis deg" is along the lines of 'show yourself' (thank you Ao-Namikaze!)  
**

****France. Frog. Get it? ...sorry, I found it funny XD**

**Next chapter may also take a bit more than two weeks, depending. College is getting a bit busier and more hectic, leaving me with less time to work on my stories.**

**Thanks again!**

_**~Cheetay**_


	4. Chapter Three

**ACK! I am so sorry everyone! A lot has been going on with school. I was in the pit band for a Musical my school put on, so that consumed my life for about three weeks (a musical called The Drowsy Chaperone-very funny and very...interesting. I loved it) but it, and my big research paper, is now over! All that's left before Thanksgiving is a biology exam, but that'll be easy. Thank you so much for your patience!  
**

**Anyway, I'm so glad so many of you like the story so far! Enjoy this next chapter, as well!**

**I don't own Hetalia**

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**Chapter_ Three: A Light in the Dark_**

The stranger was peacefully slumbering in his bed, and Lukas had to figure out what to do with him.

He could easily kill the teen, which would fix the immediate problem of Arthur being exposed (or worse, killed), but that wouldn't stop the rumors that were spreading through the land. As the dragon took over more and more of his friend, it would become more aggressive and actively hunt out any humans nearby.

Lukas could think of no solution to the long-term problem other than changing Arthur back into a man. His knew friend didn't want that until he could find a cure for the original curse, though.

He was at a loss.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Moments later Lukas jolted awake and looked around, realizing he had fallen asleep while keeping an eye on the stranger. He rolled his stiff shoulders and stood from the chair he fell asleep in. He stretched quickly before peering into his bedroom.

What he saw make his blood run cold;  
Alfred was gone.

The bed was messily made and all of Alfred's gear was gone. The bed still held a bit of heat, though, so the boy couldn't have gone too far.

These were the moments when Lukas appreciated not feeling emotions—instead of freaking out he could think calmly and logically. This thinking brought him to only one possibility…

Alfred had gone off to search for the rumored dragon. For Arthur.

He cursed loudly before bolting out of his house, slamming his front door opened in the process.

The door began to slowly creak closed, but stopped just short of closing. Lukas was already a good distance from the house and didn't notice the opening that was barely a centimeter in size.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Footfalls crashed mercilessly through the woods. The cause of this commotion was an annoyed boy, roughly nineteen years old, who only had one thing on his mind—or, rather, one person.

He had left his village about an hour ago, upset with the fact that none of his friends had believed that he was attacked by the witch.

"They want evidence? I'll find them evidence. Then I can get rid of the stupid witch" Mathias growled as he forced his way through the undergrowth.

_'You don't really want that.'_

"Of course I do! There isn't a single story about a witch being good—they should be killed before they cause trouble."

_'There have been numerous opportunities for him to cause trouble, though, and he didn't'_ the voice in his head argued. _'There's a different reason you're so obsessed with him. You just won't admit it.'_

The blond paused at this, eyes darkening in thought. "Perhaps, but in the end I want what's bested for the village…"

He grinned victoriously when no response was made and continued on his way. There was no reason to his hunting other than protecting his village; avoiding the possible dangers the sorcerer could bring.

Definitely no hidden motive.

OoOoOoOoOo

After some careful navigation through the woodlands, Mathias was about to give up his search and head back home. Everything looked normal and there was no sign of the magical man.

Then something caught his eye.

Something didn't fit right in the picture; the tree a few meters to his left seemed incomplete. The bark flowed evenly around the tree except for one small spot where it seemed to be warped.

Cautiously he approached the oddity, eyes moving over it in a calculating fashion. The crack was about as thick as his pinkie and ran upwards about five feet.

Boldly he reached out and touched the peculiarity, grunting with surprise as his hand reached through the blackness. He curled his fingers around what felt like a plank of wood and pulled.

All of a sudden the tree section moved and the black shimmered before revealing what it was hiding: a room.

More specifically, the inside of a house.

Mathias couldn't believe what he had found—it _had_ to be the witch's house! A house hidden in plain sight by magic. Mathias was pretty certain that this was the house of _his_ witch, too. It made perfect sense.

Quiet as a church mouse, the spikey-haired blond eased open the door and slid into the hut, quickly getting to work. He checked each of the three rooms thoroughly, the grin on his face receding when he realized the house was empty.

The sorcerer wasn't home.

Frowning, Mathias decided to peak at the tomes and other books that lined the shelves. The kitchen held mostly hand-written journals with food recipes, most of them yellow with age.

The workroom, as Mathias decided to call it, held what he had expected to find. There were tomes magic spells, books on spell mixtures, but they were few in numbers compared to what else he found: history books. Books about distant lands, theories, and unreal creatures.

In fact, he found about a dozen books on dragons. There were also quite a few about curses, though to Mathias' confusion they focused more on removing them rather than casting them.

Glancing around the neat house once more, Mathias decided to snoop just a little bit more...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The sound of panting, crunching leaves, and quick patters were all that filled the woods as Lukas raced up the mountainside, hoping he could catch Alfred before it was too late.

Before Alfred found out about Arthur.

Before the dragon attacked Alfred.

Before more innocent blood was spilled and stained his hands.

He pushed his legs to go faster up the steep landscape, panting harder and trying to ignore the stabs in his sides and burning in his lungs and limbs.

Not even realizing that he was feeling pain. Lukas, the one cursed to be unfeeling with a heart of ice.

Closer and closer he became to the mountain summit; Arthur's home. With still no sign of the young woodsman, too. Lukas did not see him until he had reached the overhang above the clearing Arthur's cave was in.

What he saw brought ice to his veins: just a dozen yards (or just under a dozen meters) away from the teen loomed the dragon. Its forest green eyes were dark; ivory fangs flashed in his snarl; muscles tensed and readied for attack.

"Move!" Lukas shouted to Alfred, still too far away to do anything. He couldn't think.

But the idiot didn't move. He just stood there with wide eyes that never left the mighty dragon whose roar caused even the rocks to tremble in fear. The beast was slowly lumbering closer to the rooted blond, and Lukas' body just wouldn't cooperate.

Fear and worry buzzed throughout his body—even though he couldn't feel the emotions, he knew they were there. They were keeping his body from moving and his brain from thinking of a solution.

Then something astonishing happened. The bright flame that had been building in the back of the dragon's throat died out and it stopped its advancements towards Alfred.

Those savage, dark forest green eyes softened and slowly faded back to bright emerald green. Arthur stretched out his muzzle until he and Alfred were eye to eye; large nostrils flared slightly as the human's scent was taken in and processed.

His head then turned to Lukas, eyes holding a puzzled expression. All the sorcerer could do was blink and wonder just what had occurred. Arthur came to his senses without him needing to utter a spell, something that hadn't occurred since the beast succeeded in taking his friend over for the first time.

"Lukas, who is this?" The sorcerer's friend growled, turning his gaze back to the blond woodsman.

Finally finding himself able of motion, Lukas padded up to stand beside the other human. "Arthur this is Alfred, he aided me last night after…" He trailed off, not wanting to worry either of them. "Anyway, I allowed him to stay in my northern hut last night. Only to find he had vanished the next morning" his icy eyes narrowed, shooting a cold glare at Alfred.

The victim raised his hands nervously in surrender. "I was curious. Your house was filled with books—many of them on dragons. It was suspicious, so I decided to investigate." He turned his large, awe-struck blue eyes to the dragon.

"And look how magnificent he is! And you know him, Lukas? Wow…" he breathed out softly, body practically shaking in excitement. Arthur looked happy at the compliment, as well.

A rumble vibrated in the dragon's chest. "You two are welcomed to stay for a while, if you wish. Our last meeting was short, Lukas, and it has been a while since I conversed with someone other than you…" his eyes flickered back to Alfred. "Would you like to hear a story, Alfred?"

"About why you're a dragon, and how Lukas knows about you, and if you're behind the disappearances, and what being a dragon is like, and, and-"

Arthur cut the rambling off with a sharp snort. "Yes yes, all in due time" he settled down and patted the ground with his tail. "Sit, and Lukas and I will explain everything to you."

"Are you sure about this, friend?" the sorcerer asked quietly so that only the dragon's ears could hear.

"There's something about him, Lukas. Surely you can tell as well?" Arthur replied, serving no further explanation. "Now, let us start at the beginning, when Lukas and I turned eighteen and began to study under a powerful, well-known sorceress."

"How long ago was that?" Alfred asked, blue eyes wide with joy and curiosity.

"A long time ago, Alfred, a very long time ago… now, may I continue?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Much to the snooping blond's annoyance, the sun was beginning to set. Realizing he had to return to his village, Mathias decided to leave the sorcerer's hut and return at a later date—hopefully when the magic user was actually home.

Exiting the house he hesitated; the structure was likely to be hidden again once the door shut, making it difficult for him to find it again.

So he opened the door before carefully dragging his knife into the 'tree' to the left of the door. It was the same height as the doorknob and ran parallel from the ground, about 5 inches in length. With the mark completed, Mathias carefully closed the enchanted door and watched as it disappeared from sight.

But his gash was still there, pointing him directly to where the knob is.

A grin spread across his face. _'Perfect.'_

* * *

**Hope that's okay! Story's moving along~ But there is still plenty that needs to be revealed, yes?  
**

**See you all next chapter! It shouldn't take too long, but next chapter may be my last update until my finals are all over. **

**Check out my profile page and take the toll at the top, I need to know what I should spend my time doing over break and before finals! (other than studying, of course. Hah)**

_**~Cheetay**_


	5. Chapter Four

**So instead of studying for my bio test, I whipped this up. Kind of a 'sorry' for not updating for nearly a month, haha!  
**

**Anyway, thank you so much for your follows, faves, and reviews! They made me oh so happy~Enjoy this chapter, as well!  
**

**I do not own Hetalia.**

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**_Chapter Four: An Enchanted Meeting_**

The sun was just shy of setting when Alfred and Lukas had finally made it back down the mountainside. The seventeen year old had barely ceased his talking for more than a moment to breathe since they started back, and it was beginning to grind on Lukas' nerves.

"I just can't believe something like this is real! Hey Lukas, do you think tomorrow we could go back?"

Lukas sighed, "The problem with that, Alfred, is that Arthur is very rarely himself. You should count yourself very lucky he happened to snap out of the dragons control before the fire burnt you to a crisp."

His companion's shoulders drooped and his body literally seemed to deflate in sadness, "Oh…"

Another sigh. "We will plan another trip for the day after tomorrow, at sunrise. Alright?"

"Awesome, I can't-"

"Until then, Alfred" Lukas interrupted, turning to give him a stern stare. "You must promise to keep this to yourself and not breathe a word to anyone. Do you understand?"

"Well…" the boy scratched the back of his neck, as if nervous. "A-actually, I've never been too good at keeping secrets. It's just not heroic, ya know?" He gave a weak laugh when Lukas stopped moving. "B-but, I was thinkin', maybe you could put a spell on me to keep me from… you know, mentioning anything about Arthur or you? You can do that, right?"

Lukas paused to take this in. "Yes," he replied after a minute, "I suppose I can. Give me one moment, then hold out your tongue" he ordered, gathering his magic.

"Like thith?" Alfred asked, tongue poking out from between his teeth. A nod was his only confirmation.

"Now…" Lukas murmured, taking hold of the teen's tongue, "_du vil ikke snakke om magi og Arthur._" A moment later a loud noise was heard, similar to the whistle of a boiling tea kettle, and Lukas released the wet muscle.

"Ow, ow, ow, OW!" Alfred yelped, jumping a good four feet away from the smirking sorcerer. He poked his tongue back out of his mouth and tried to look at it, sky blue eyes crossed and concentrating. A small ring could be seen on his tongue, just a touch darker than the rest of the muscle's surface. His eyes flickered up and focused on Lukas.

"What the heck was that?" he asked, moving his tongue carefully around in his mouth. Just as quickly as it came, the pain had disappeared.

The sorcerer scoffed, "Well, you did ask me to cast a spell on you. Now you physically cannot talk about magic or anything relating to Arthur; the spell won't let you."

"Wow…" Alfred murmured, moving his tongue around his mouth once more. "That's really freaking awesome!"

Lukas looked into the bright, baby blue eyes and actually smiled a bit. There was something about the young man that intrigued him—after all, Alfred had managed to drag Arthur from the clutches of the Dragon's mind. Not only that, but his friend seemed happy interacting with the boy. An image of his best friend, smiling and human again, filled his mind.

_'Could this be important for breaking her curse..?'_ he thought, glancing the woodsman over. _'He was able to make more progress with Arthur in a few hours than I could in a few centuries… I wonder…'_

"-kas? Lukas, hey!"

The sorcerer blinked, focusing once again on his companion. "Yes, Alfred, what is it?"

A smile graced the teen's lips. "Are we going back to your place now?" he asked, head tilting to one side.

Lukas thought a moment before shaking his head. "No, Alfred. You must continue on to the village now. My home is small and cannot comfortably house two people-the village has a nice inn you should stay in. People your age, too." He added.

"But we're still going to go back and see A-…Ar-…" Alfred's brow furrowed in confusion, unable to figure out why he couldn't utter 'Arthur.' His eyes lit up with realization a few moments after and gave a small laugh. "Well, I'll still see you at sunrise the day after tomorrow, right?"

Lukas nodded, "Yes, of course. We will meet at the base of the mountain, by that stream I showed you."

"Perfect!" Alfred cheered.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Trudging back through the forest towards his village slowly, the man's thoughts were focused on the plot brewing within.

"…you must continue on to the village now…"

His ears pricked and his curiosity spiked; that voice sounded eerily familiar. Careful not to make a sound, he crept in the direction the voice had come from.

"…nice inn you should stay in. People your age, too."

Peering around the tree, Mathias was pleasantly surprised to see the sorcerer he had spent the day hunting for. Just as he was about to make his presence known, however, he noticed the other person present—namely, the one Lukas was conversing with.

"But we're still going to go back and see A-…Ar-…"

There was a long pause, the boy's face contorting in a way that gave away his confusion. But what was he confused about..?

"Well, I'll still see you at sunrise the day after tomorrow, right?" The unknown boy said, looking expectantly at the sorcerer.

_'What the heck is going on here? Who's that other guy?'  
Jealous, are we?_ A voice echoed in his head.  
_'Of course not! Just curious, wondering what the witch is up to now'_ Mathias huffed quietly, eyes focusing on Lukas as he spoke again:

"Yes, of course. We will meet at the base of the mountain, by that stream I showed you."

"Perfect!" The boy grinned, throwing a fist in the air.

Mathias could feel annoyance and anger boil up through his body. Then, it disappeared as he processed what the sorcerer had said: the stream at the base of the mountain. Sunrise two days from now.

A grin spread across the tall, spiky-hair blond's face as yet another plan took root in his mind. He stepped out from his hiding spot and opened his mouth to announce his presence-

"Oh! Hello there, Mr. Woodsman!"

Only to be beaten by the friendly, light-haired blond whom he shared a village with.

Surprise flickered through Lukas' eyes, but nothing showed on his face nor his body. On the other hand, Alfred's eyes grew wide and his body grew straighter subconsciously, as if instinctively trying to appear more intimidating.

Frowning, Mathias retreated back to hiding spot in the dark shade. He watched as a small, seemingly fake smile peaked on Lukas' lips.

"Hello, sir" he murmured, voice quiet and pleasant.

The new arrival smiled, "Hello! I'm not sure we've formally met—I'm Tino, I live in the nearby village."

Lukas bowed his head slightly, "Nice to formally meet you, Tino. I am Lukas; I am rather sure you've heard of me, if you are from the nearby village."

"Oh yes, I have heard—I do not believe much of what I hear, however." Tino smiled, nodding to Alfred, "And you are?"

Ice blue eyes flickered his muted teenage companion, "this is Alfred. He is a traveler from a village across the mountain."

Alfred found his voice and stammered a nervous hello.

Tino's smile grew "it's nice to meet you, Alfred. You must have traveled a long way."

Finally finding his confidence again, Alfred returned the smile. "Yeah, it took me about three weeks to reach this forest—I had just arrived last night when I ran into Lukas."

"Oh?" Tino's face turned curious, asking the silent question of 'what happened next?'

Lukas cleared his throat. "I had a rough night and fell from a tree while trying to harvest empty bird nests" he easily lied. "Alfred aided me back to my house and treated my wounds. In return I allowed him to rest overnight; today he wished to help me with my chores, worried that I might still be injured."

Tino nods again as something akin to realization flickered in his eyes.

"Actually, Alfred was wondering if you might be able to show him to the village in. I would love to have him longer, but my house is not made for two people." Lukas explained, nudging the teen gently in the arm.

He actually takes the hint and nods happily, "Yep! I was looking forward to resting in your village a few weeks before continuing on my journey." He paused and, seeing the look in Tino's eyes, continued: "I wish to explore the lands around the mountain and be home before winter hits."

"Of course." Tino kept smiling, "It was nice speaking to you, Lukas. You should stop at the village more often than you do," his eyes flashed, "it may help the rumors spreading about you, and keep the village youngsters from bothering you as much."

He bowed, "Thank you for your kind invitation. I will consider it, though I must say I am used to solitude and not very good with human interaction."

The man just hummed, "I can understand that, but still." He turned to Alfred, "Come, it's getting dark and you must be hungry. Good day, Lukas."

"I'll see ya around, Lukas" Alfred called over his shoulder, grinning.

"Farewell Tino, Alfred. I'm sure I will see you again soon." Lukas grunted, watching the pair walk away.

His head then turned to the right, eyes looking directly at the others hiding spy. "I am well aware you are there, boy."

There was a long pause before branches rustled, and the tall blond pulled himself away from the shadows. His eyes narrowed and he spat out "how?"

Bored, ice blue eyes looked over the Mathias' body. "You aren't exactly quiet. That, and you momentarily revealed yourself before Tino arrived.

"What is it you want," the question came out more as a statement, further aggravating the taller male.

Mathias slowly stalked towards Lukas, blue eyes sparkling in the dim light. He stopped after a few feet, however, eyes clouding in confusion. "Why'd you lie to Tino? He knows what happened last night, after all."

Lukas eyed the other wearily. An emotion he couldn't pinpoint caused his chest to become tight and his head to grow light-headed. He couldn't remember ever feeling this way; a small amount of fear pulsed through his body at this alien feeling.

And more fear yet at the fact _he was feeling_.

He had to force himself to swallow the lump in his throat before replying: "Alfred did not know what had happened, and I wished to keep it that way."

The blue eyes darkened and narrowed further, "Who's that Alfred guy, anyway?"

A pulse of annoyance ran through Lukas' body. "Why don't you go ask him? He _is_ staying in your village, after all.

"Now, if you'll excuse me. I must be off." He huffed, turning away from Mathias. He heard a low growl sound from behind him, but nothing that signaled the man had followed.

"Just be careful, witch. I'll get you one of these days" Mathias spat as the sorcerer disappeared into the dark woods.

With the start of a snarl on his lips, the tall, spiky-haired blond started back to his village, intent on 'getting to know' this Alfred a bit more.

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**Well? Whatcha think? This chapter was much easier to write than chapter 3... I sort of hit a wall and had no idea what to write about, which is one of the reasons it took so long to update haha. I already have an idea for what chapter 5 will be about, so expect a timely update for that (you know, hopefully).**

**Translations:**

**_du vil ikke snakke om magi og Arthur_: You will not speak about magic or Arthur. (Thank you so much Ao-Namikaze for helping me with the translation!)**

**So anyone wanna guess what chapter 5 will bring~? Now that Mathias is suspicious and jealous and Alfred can't talk about anything related to magic or dragons or Artie? Hah!  
Also, go check out the poll on my profile! So I know where to spend my time over my break ;)  
**

**Thanks again!**

_**~Cheetay**_


	6. Chapter Five

**...When did I last update? How long have I been on break? Oops.  
**

**I'M SO SORRY EVERYONE! I, apparently, cannot find story muses while at home ahah...hah...ah...ugh. Anyway, sorry all who read New Year's Kiss, hoping for this to update. I will get this story moving towards finishing soon! I promise. This chapter is another sort-of filler, so I apologize. I will try to get the next chapter up before I start classes again the 14th!**

**I own nothing of hetalia, Enjoy!**

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_**Chapter Five: Drunks and Plans**_

Mathias stormed back into the village and headed straight towards the inn that Francis' mother owned.

"Ah, hello Mathias" the man at the front counter greeted with a smile, "What brings you here?"

He nodded "Hey Toris. I hear that a traveler's stayin in the village, did he bunk up here yet?"

Toris hummed, "Yes, I was quite surprised—it's been some time since someone visited our village." He laughed, "Most days I spend my time cleaning the rooms or going to help Tino. Honestly, I was starting to grow mad with boredom."

Mathias nodded, "Yeah, sometimes the village seems really boring and stuffy, huh? That's why I spend so much time out in the woods" _'well, mostly'_ he added to himself.

"Mhm. Actually, I've been meaning to go and visit my cousin's village…get away for a bit, you know?" Toris sighed, eyes clouding over in thought.

He cleared his throat, "Go for it, Toris. It'll be good for you to get away from here. Anyway" he continued, face growing slightly more serious, "where did the traveler go? Which room is he in?"

Toris shook his head, "Actually, Francis spirited him away to the tavern. I think he and Tino are throwing a small party to celebrate his stay; Feliciano said something about wanting to hear the stories he had to tell."

Mathias smiled, "alright, thanks Toris. Why don't you come, too?"

"No, I'm not much for crowds and alcohol" he admitted with a laugh, "I'll be content relaxing here. Have fun though, Mathias."

With one more nod, the spiky blond exited the inn and crept towards the tavern that Ludwig and Gilbert's grandfather owned. Darkness had blanketed the village, but the noise and lights coming from the tavern stretched through the night's silence.

He pushed open the heavy barn doors, seeing as the bar had once been a large barn, and made his way over to the table where a group of people were congregated.

"Hey, s'goin on Mat?" Gilbert slurred, a drunken grin stretching across his face. It was obvious that he had been drinking long before Francis brought Alfred to the _Black Eagle_. Speaking of Alfred…

The tall blond turned his attention to the traveler, who was in the middle of explaining a story to Feliciano about a time he saved his brother from a pair of foxes.

"He was only eleven, so being the older brother that I was I quickly swooped in and started yellin' at the foxes," he paused, pursing his lips together, "they kept snarling though and circling around, trying to get at my bro, so I started to snarl back at them. Now Matthew, that's my bro, was terrified but managed to hand me a thick stick.

So I started to wield the stick like a sword and BAM!" Alfred shouted, bringing his fist down on the table, "I bashed the larger fox in the head and knocked him out, but his buddy suddenly launched himself at me and latched his jaws around my shoulder!" A few of his spectator gasped as he pulled his shirt collar down and revealed the scar.

"W-what happened next?" Lovino mumbled, looking as engrossed in Alfred's tale as his brother. Mathias simply snorted, wondering if this guy was bluffing or if the crown-shaped scar was really from a fox.

Alfred chuckled, "Well, actually, I started to freak out coz I was only twelve… but Mattie came to my rescue and pulled the fox off of me. After that I used the stick to club the fox and send 'im running." He grinned, a grin that stretched across his whole face in an arrogant yet kind way. "Mattie and I make an awesome team."

"Your brother sounds a lot more awesome than mine!" Gilbert snorted, gulping down the rest of his drink.

A laugh bubbled past Lovino's alcohol-loosened lips "yeah, he seems smart and brave," he scoffed bitterly into his glass, "unlike some brothers I know."

"I'm sorry fratello!" Feliciano whined, "I didn't know it was so delicate!"

"It was hand blown glass you idiot! And you dropped it out of a _freaking window_!" Lovino cried, "And you didn't think it would _break_?!"

The younger Vargas brother sniffled before fleeing, sobs left in his wake. The older brother cursed before stumbling out of his chair and giving chase.

Mathias couldn't help the laugh that left his throat at Alfred's confused face. The visiting blond looked to Gilbert, Frances, and then finally Mathias. This only caused the Dane to laugh harder, the self-proclaimed Awesomeness joining in.

"It was a hand-made glass tomato" Francis explained, shooting an annoyed glance at the two hyenas. "It was made by our friend Antonio last year for Lovino's birthday. Feli was playing with it when it slipped out of his hands and flew out the window, apparently it meant more to Lovino then he let on."

"Ah, you know Toni'll just make him another one" Gilbert grunted, staring grouchily at his empty mug. He rose and mumbled "gotta go get more from Opa" before heading off to the counter.

Francis sighed, "I'd better head back to the inn now, Toris tends to overwork himself when left alone," and with that he bid adieu and left the tavern.

Mathias and Alfred were alone.

They looked at one another, silently sizing one another up. Mathias felt nothing but annoyance towards the other, while Alfred was confused at the older male's distrust and malice towards him.

"Greetings. Mathias, was it? I'm Alf-"

"Alfred" the other interrupted, "Yes, I know."

The exchange was followed by a long pause.

"So, um, what sort of things do you do, Mathias?" Alfred tried, shooting the tall blond a smile.

Mathias raised an eyebrow at another, before shooting the woodsman a dark grin and taking the seat beside him.

"I hunt and protect the village, of course. Provide meat and keep trouble out" his eyes sparkled, "What about you? Tino mentioned he found you with the…_woodsman_ living in the forest south of here" he lied, seeing as he viewed them with his own eyes and hasn't seen Tino since morning.

"Ah, you mean Lukas?" Alfred chuckled, before stopping and checking himself. "I met him last night as I neared the village; he had fallen out of a tree and was in need of assistance, so I helped him."

Mathias' eyes flashed, "I hear he's a witch. You know, magic?"

Alfred stiffened at this before scoffing, "Magic's just a fairytale. No, but Lukas does know a lot about herbs and medicines, which is sort of magic, I suppose. Healing wounds and what-not."

The villager let out a hum, glancing up as Gilbert returned with three mugs of spirit. He grinned before slurring, "Here Mat'ius, I got ye a drink. Yoo too, traveler."

Alfred smiled before taking a polite sip and muttering a quick thanks. Mathias took a large gulp before nudging the stranger, "Come on Al," he chortled, "drink up and enjoy. Celebrate your arrival to our village!"

With a quiet laugh himself, Alfred gave in and took a large swig before raising the mug in a giddy cheer.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Alfred giggled as he and Mathias stumbled towards the inn, arms thrown around each other's shoulders for balance.

"Man, I forgot how much fun it was to just relax 'n drink an jus talk to people" the traveler slurs, tripping a bit over his own two feet.

Mathias laughs loudly as he steadies his companion, thoughts and plans swirling in his mind. "It certainly is fun" he confirms, nudging open Alfred's rented room.

Alfred gracelessly flopped on his bed, looking back at Mathias, "Thanks a bunch, buddy" a yawn stretched his jaws.

"Anytime, pal" the older teen sneered, "Can I ask ya a few questions, Al?"

"'bout what?" the woodsman asked, another yawn breaking past his jaws.

"The one you call Lukas. I'd like to hear more about him" Mathias revealed, eying the drunk traveler.

"Can't talk much about it" Alfred mumbled, blinking sleepily at his 'friend'. "Lukas put…made me promise" he stated quietly, tongue suddenly feeling thick and heavy.

"A promise?" Mathias pressed, "Well, you don't have to tell me. Just tell me about the witch—I mean, about Lukas."

Alfred was silent, his hazy mind trying hard to think before simply shrugging. "He's a nice guy, jus seems a bit cold an lonely" was his answer, followed by another yawn. "He collects plants and tries to make different medicines."

"He probably has a lot of books, huh? He seems like the type" Mathias pushed further, leaning closer to Alfred.

"Well, yeah. Some are really old, too. He has a lotta books 'bout d-dr-" he coughs, tongue burning a bit, " Sorry, about mythical creatures and fairytales and stuff, along with medicinal and food recipes"

Mathias frowned, catching the other's stutter. What could he have been about to say, and why didn't he say it? Was he still able to hide things despite his drunkenness?

"Lukas seems afraid of you villagers, though" Alfred suddenly explained, fixing Mathias with a look. "I don't understand it, coz you're all so nice, but…"

Mathias was about to say something, when loud singing was suddenly heard from the inn's lobby.

"Gilbert! Shut up and get out of here!" Francis' voice yelled, echoing through the building.

This caused both boys to laugh, "Does he always get like this?" Alfred asked, suddenly looking a lot more sober.

Mathias didn't answer right away, but nodded after a while. "Yeah, quite often. Usually he serenades his brother, grandfather, or the whole village. He must have followed us here to wreak havoc." He laughed, "I'll go take care of him. Sleep well Alfred, you have much to see of the village tomorrow."

"Farewell, Mathias" Alfred murmured, laying his head down.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Mathias awoke the next morning, only to frown. The sun was already high in the sky and he had gotten little information out of the traveler last night. Had Gilbert not interrupted, he might have been able to pull more information out of the seventeen year old.

He sighed, _'Oh well, I'll just have to follow Alfred and Lukas-'_ he stopped himself, frowning. When had he began thinking about the witch as Lukas? He had only found out the man's true name yesterday—if it was his actual true name. Either way, it confused the tall, spiky blond.

"All in due time" he murmured, fixing his gaze towards the forest, "all in due time."

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**There you are! A chapter all on Danmark with some Al sprinkled in~**

**Norge and Artie come back next chapter! Hope it wasn't too terrible, haha. To all that read my other fic I put up for New Year's, the epilogue will be out sometime this week, I swear! And it'll be longer because I made people wait.**

**Anyway, see you all next time! Thank you all so much for the reviews, faves, and follows! :D**

_**~Cheetay**_


	7. Chapter Six

**WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THIS REACHED OVER 10,000 WORDS LAST CHAPTER! I seriously can't believe it-nor how popular this story seems to be.  
**

**Anyway, I bring you yet another chapter. Updates will likely be slow most of February and March, 'coz I am taking a full 18 credits, meaning 3 classes three times a week and two others twice a week, plus two labs and a crap-ton of work. ...Regardless, I like my classes so it's not bad [yet].**

**I do not own Hetalia  
Enjoy!**

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**_Chapter Six: A Sunrise Stalking_**

Lukas had spent all of yesterday holed up in his house to avoid any possibility of running into Alfred or any of the villagers. Instead he passed time by reading, experimenting with spells and cooking recipes, writing, and fiddling idly with a blunt steel sword.

In fact, most of his time yesterday was consumed by that sword. He made mental notes on the work he still had to do on the weapon—which included sharpening, refining, polishing and, of course, enchanting.

He could not finish the sword yet, however, so in the meantime he focused on carefully carving and decorating the dark wooden hilt.

The day passed by quickly. Before he knew it he was preparing for yet another trip up Arthur's mountain and heading towards the predetermined meeting place of Lukas and the blond traveler.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Alfred made sure to wake up well before the sun rose on the day he was supposed to meet Lukas for another visit with Arthur. He dressed as quickly and quietly as he could in the dark room before slipping out of the inn and sneaking out into the woods to the south.

Once he was far enough from the village he stopped to stretch lavishly, joints popping and muscles straining. A soft moan escaped from his throat as the soreness of yesterday's labor left his arms, legs, and back.

Before long he found himself following the stream Lukas had shown him the other day until he reached a large boulder. He grinned, cheerfully greeting the sorcerer that sat atop the rocky throne.

"Right on time, woodsman. Congratulations" Lukas praised dryly, a small amount of mirth dancing in his otherwise bland eyes. Gracefully he slid from his seat and beckoned the younger blond to follow.

Without missing a beat Alfred fell into step beside Lukas, feeling giddy and excited for the day to come.

The icy male sighed, feeling the other practically vibrating beside him. In hopes to distract, Lukas asked "how was your day in the village, Alfred?"

While Lukas had been relaxing at home, Alfred's day passed by slowly and was full of physical labor. Not that he minded, of course, for it was refreshing to be in the company of so many after such a long time alone.

The grin widened on his face before he began to explain his day in great detail to Lukas…

Not long after waking up and nursing away his hangover with some hot breakfast, a man that introduced himself as Antonio stopped by to, essentially, kidnap him. The chatty male rambled on and on about crops (mainly tomatoes), people (focusing especially on a "Lovi", but also mentioning multiple others), the farm his parents ran (and he helped with), and the village as a whole (_"It's so cute and everyone knows each other and helps each other!"_ was one way he described it).

Anyway, he was eventually able to get a word in to question his abduction, to which he received the answer _"Tino thought you should see everything the village has to offer—including trying a few jobs! Well, actually, his exact words were 'he needs to earn his stay here because he has no money'—but it'll be fun! First I'll show you what we do at the farm, then I'll bring you to the general store, then you'll go to the ranch, then the tavern, and finally you'll help Berwald out!"_

So Antonio put him to work weeding, and then the auburn-haired teenager from last night arrived. He eventually remembered the boy's name as 'Lovino', even though his kidnapper constantly, and to Lovino's annoyance, called him _Lovi_. Anyway, once the other male arrived the three of them began to harvest crops (after the two explained to Alfred how to tell a ripe product from a growing one) until a lady named Bella came and took him away.

The next two hours were spend stacking jarred and canned food in the general store, lugging in heavy bags of goods (like grain—which is _heavy_), taking inventory of the fabrics and cloths, and sorting out old, moldy, or decaying fruits and vegetables. On the plus side, Bella was very nice and talkative, so the time flew by. Before long a man by the name of Ivan whisked him off to a ranch a short walk from the village.

Working on the ranch wasn't that hard, especially because his parents had a barn the he and his brother Matthew. However, he didn't trust the man Ivan. Luckily he was turned over to a woman named Katyusha upon arrival to the ranch (Alfred later learned that Kat took care of raising the animals while Ivan focused more on butchering them) and put him to work cleaning, milking, collecting eggs, and even spinning wool. Usually she would have help from Tino, Toris, or a young boy named Peter, but all were (conveniently) busy that day. The afternoon flew by and before he knew it he was at the tavern from the previous night.

This time, however, he was instructed by an older man (whose name Alfred forgot) to clean all the tables and chairs. Once that was taken care of another elder man, named Romulus, had the traveler aid him in brewing. Which was fun, but the fumes made him dizzy and lightheaded.

Finally he was brought to a small house labeled "carpenter" and told to wait inside for Berwald, a big, quiet guy.

It was at this point in Alfred's tale that Lukas interrupted, reminding him that they were almost to the top of the mountain, and that he had to be careful until Arthur recognized them.

The seventeen year old simple waved a hand at him, "I know I know. Anyway, Berwald seemed like a nice guy and all, but he was really anti-social and quiet. The only time he spoke is when he told me to chop wood, sand a chair, and when he asked me if I was alright after hitting my thumb with a hammer…"

Lukas clicked his tongue and joked "You probably deserved it."

To that Alfred laughed, "Yeah, most likely. It's not like he told me to use it, but there was a loose nail in the chair and, well…"

Not long after the two arrived at their destination, only to find a black dragon waiting for them, its emerald-green eyes bright with joy.

"Sure took you two long enough" the beast snorted, revealing that it was in fact Arthur.

A jolt of surprise coursed through Lukas—which was, in itself, a surprise to the poor male. He suddenly felt a pair of eyes on him, not belonging to either companion of his. Quickly he scanned the surroundings, only to lock with a hidden and very familiar pair of dark blue eyes.

Forcing his attention back onto his friend, Lukas asked in wonder: "How is it you are in control, Arthur? This has never happened before."

"I know not, Lukas" the dragon hummed, "I have been in control since I woke this morning. I was enjoying some flight when I spotted you and Alfred half way up the mountain" the green eyes flashed secretly at this. "After that I returned here and waited for you. T'was just luck, most likely" the ex-human concluded.

"Or maybe you were in control 'cause the beast couldn't overtake you" Alfred piped in, ever the optimistic. "I mean, from what Lukas told me you were in control most of the time when you first changed... maybe it has something to do with, um… mental strength?" he finished, scratching his neck sheepishly.

A laugh rumbled in Arthur's scale-armored chest, "Yes, Alfred, perhaps it is that."

The statement made Lukas wonder; he knew his friend had said it to appease the eager boy, but perhaps it held truth. Before, Arthur had little to look forward too—Lukas himself would only visit on rare occasions. Recently, in the last 100-150 years, his visits had grown even sparser.

Which rose another question: was the beast taking over Lukas' fault? Had he even remotely allowed it the leverage to start destroying Arthur?

Before Lukas' mind could dive too deep into the thought, Alfred spoke up again to inquire: "So what was the world like when you were still human?"

Lukas and Arthur shared a look before a smile tilted the sorcerer's lips and a laugh bellowed from the dragon's gut. "If you have time to listen, I have many tales I could tell you" Arthur answered once calm.

Lukas' mind wandered to what he had seen earlier, their stalker, and sighed. "I am afraid I must leave you to your reminiscing, friend, for I have matters to attend to back in the forest" he focused on Arthur, "Can you feel the dragon within you at all, Arthur?"

The beast hummed, closing his brilliant eyes, and stilled for a moment. His eyes then reopened, "No, I cannot feel him now."

"Can you tell when he is going to take over?" Lukas questioned, to which Arthur answered "Sometimes."

The sorcerer then turned to the sullen Alfred and said "I see no reason why you cannot stay here and listen to Arthur's tales, Alfred. If Arthur loses his control though, flee as fast as you can because I will not be here to save you."

He paused to watch the boy nod, "Also, please return to my home when you are done, for I have some things I would like to discuss with you. You know how to find it, right?" Lukas asked, seeing if Alfred remembered his earlier instructions.

"Yes" Alfred confirmed with a wide, happy grin, "I remember the landmarks around it, and that the door is hidden in the center of the large tree that hides your house."

"Have a safe trip down, friend" Arthur murmured, touching the man's chest with his nose, "Thank you for bringing Alfred up here; be sure to visit longer next time."

After bidding one last farewell, Lukas started back down the mountain, determined to catch the suspected stalker.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Mathias tore down the mountain, feet stumbling and hands struggling to catch himself every time he fell.

"A dragon, a freaking _dragon_" he gasped, "I knew the witch was hiding something, but a _dragon_!"

He could not believe what he had seen. Mathias had left his village early this morning in pursuit of Alfred, and carefully followed the two of them up the foreboding mountain. Not only did he have to survive listening to the traveler ramble, but he didn't learn anything about the sorcerer that has plagued his thoughts nonstop for days.

They, when the two finally stop, Mathias sees a _dragon_ greet them—_speak_—and them start _talking back_ and _conversing_ with it. He couldn't believe it!

What's worse, the nineteen year-old is fairly sure that the sorcerer caught sight of him.

Once everything processed in his brain, Mathias was off and racing down the mountain, which is where you see him now.

Regardless, he gradually slows down to catch his breath, but doesn't stop moving.

"What if the witch uses the dragon to attack my village?" Mathias mutters to himself, "What can I do, though? Especially seeing as that traveler is working with him…"

As he walks, a plan begins to swirl, bend, and shape within his mind. By the time he's off the mountain, Mathias knows exactly what he has to do.

"I gotta confront Luk—the witch."

With a determined nod, Mathias heads off to find Lukas' hidden house. By the time he finds his handmade scratch, opens the door, and enters the home, it is late in the afternoon and the sun will soon begin it's decent into darkness.

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**So there you have it! Things are starting to move along now and we're about half way done with the story! Maybe. Ideally. ...hopefully.**

**Anyway, I have a rough idea what to do next chapter but I want to know from you guys-would you rather have a lot of Nor-Den interactions or Art-Al interactions? Lemme know!**

**See you all next time! Thanks again for all the faves, follows, and reviews!**

_**~Cheetay**_


	8. Chapter Seven

**Hey everyone! How are all of y'all? I've had a lull in schoolwork so I decided to finish this chapter up and post it. It would have been finished a week or two ago, but I struggled with a certain part of the chapter... I was like "how I fight scene?" And... yeah. Hopefully it didn't turn out that bad, haha- I have very little experience with it.**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter: a mix of UsUk and something that is closer to Dennor than the past chapters... maybe. Guess it depends on your interpretation haha.  
**

**I do not own Hetalia  
Enjoy!**

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**_Chapter Seven: An Enchanted Encounter_**

"Wow, that's so cool" Alfred gasped, his voice laced with amazement. He had been listening to Arthur's tales for nearly an hour now. Arthur had told him about his childhood, how he and Lukas met, his brief time as an apprentice, and many of his adventures as a dragon. Currently, the gentle giant was explaining how different dragon eyes see the world differently—the sharper colors, faraway clarity, and excellent focus.

"Yes, it is" Arthur hummed, absent-mindedly cleaning the earth between his claws. "It took me a long while to get used to this new body. I would often trip on my wings and accidentally gash myself with my claws."

Alfred let out a small laugh, "That sounds tough. When I was younger I broke my leg by falling out of a tree" he recited, head tilted in recollection. "Mom wrapped it up real good and I had to hobble around for months with a stick tied to my leg."

Arthur reached forward and huffed on the boy's left leg, "Is that why you walk with a slight limp?"

Surprise bloomed on the woodman's face. Arthur chortled at that, "I am quite observant, lad. It is very minor, but you have a limp in that leg."

"Wow, that's pretty amazing. But no," Alfred explained, "I broke my right leg, but my left leg tends to get twisted and strained a lot—I don't really know why. The limp's because my ankle's still healing… I twisted it pretty bad in a rabbit hole a few weeks back."

"You seem to get injured a lot, Alfred" the black dragon snorted.

He scratched the back of his neck timidly, laughing, "Well yeah, I guess I do. I've always loved adventure, but adventure hasn't always loved me back." Alfred then grins, "When Matt and I were little I would always drag him into the woods by our house. We would make forts, have imaginary sword fights… it was awesome."

"You seem close to your brother" Arthur comments, eyes glazing over nostalgically, "I had brothers, at one point, but I gladly left them behind to become a sorcerer with Lukas. I never really got along with them and, honestly, haven't thought of them much since, well, this" he flexed his wings. "Family never meant much to me."

"Well, Matt and I became more distant as we got older" Alfred replied, pushing away the pity he felt for the ex-human. "He became more interested in medicine and stuff and less interested in getting dirty outside. That's when I started to help out the town's hunters, lumberjacks, and carpenters" he fiddled with the hatchet secured in his belt.

"What made you leave, then?" Arthur questioned. He was feeling very happy, being able to converse and get to know this young human. It felt good—something Arthur hadn't felt in a very long time.

The blond teen grinned, causing his blue eyes to sparkle beautifully in the afternoon light. "I wanted a new start—an adventure. I wanted to explore the rumors of the dragon people said lived on the mountain" Alfred let loose a loud laugh, "I guess I succeeded in my quest, neh?"

"It appears so, Alfred. It appears so."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Lukas was cautious on his way home, keeping his senses alert to any possibly disturbance that would signal an attack from the blond villager.

When he finally reached his enchanted hut, all seemed quiet and peaceful—nothing seemed amiss. Though Lukas had not found the mountain stalker, he had a good idea on their identity and would deal with him when their paths crossed again.

_'What an annoying human'_ the sorcerer thought. A small emotion squirmed around in his chest for a moment, but was too brief for Lukas to analyze.

He stepped into his home and set about lighting the lanterns that hung from the ceiling in the kitchen before turning towards his workroom, intent on checking and working on the sword.

Before he could reach the room, however, a large man slipped in front of him, blocking his way. In the stranger's hands was a sharp, glistening sword—the same one Lukas had painstakingly created.

"It was nice of you to have a weapon lying around, witch" the intruder growled, revealing his identity.

Cursing under his breath, Lukas dove to the ground, rolling away from the overhead slash. The sword embedded itself in his wooden floors, maiming them with a large gash.

Barely making it to his feet, the sorcerer was again forced to dodge the blade as it moved in a long, horizontal arch.

"Hold still!" Mathias snarled, swiping again with the sword.

This time the blade caught Lukas as he tried to dodge. The metal tip cut through his robe, leaving a shallow scratch on his chest. Luck for Lukas, the injury didn't hinder him and he was able to dodge the second attack that followed the first.

It was times like this that his curse came in handy—he felt no pain from the wound, and therefore had no need to falter.

Snarling, Mathias aimed at Lukas' legs, barely missing his target in his next attack. Imploring a dirty fighting trick, however, Mathias used his own leg to trip up the other before he could find his balance.

Stumbling, Lukas hit the ground hard. Moments later he felt a burning sensation in his left arm, followed by the warmth of blood. Lukas let out a sharp cry of surprise; unlike the previous wound, he could feel this one.

Unused to feeling pain, Lukas was frozen for a moment too long. He allowed Mathias time to attack with no possibility to dodge it. He watched as Mathias lifted the sword up over his head. Enraged blue eyes met pained, icy-blue eyes and, for a moment, both just stared.

Lukas suddenly felt too many emotions: fear, pain, worry, anger, terror… It was too much for him. Wincing, he struggled to get out of Mathias' range. The movement broke Mathias' trance and the sword swung down, aimed right at Lukas' neck.

In a last-ditch effort, Lukas cried "Nei! _Ikke rør deg_!" and forced his injured arm up to protect his head.

To Mathias' surprise, his arm stopped mid-swing; the sword hovered inches from Lukas' defensive limb.

"Using magic again? What a coward you are!" He spat, struggling to complete the attack. His muscles refused to cooperate, however, which left him stuck in the attack position.

Panting, Lukas slowly pulled himself into a sitting position. His forehead glistened with sweat and his left arm was striped red with blood.

Weakly he held his right hand out to a pile of ropes and croaked "_bind han_." The ropes immediately sprung to life and wove around Mathias' limbs, slowly dragging him to the only chair still upright.

With another flick of his wrist, the ropes secured Mathias' arms, legs, and waist to the chair. He was completely immobilized.

"Magic is a powerful, useful tool" the sorcerer murmured, having finally caught his breath.

"Magic is dangerous and cowardly" Mathias snarled and struggled against the restraints, finally in control of his body again.

"So are humans" Lukas snapped, righting another chair before taking a seat in it, "Ambushing someone in their own home". He paused, the anger and other emotions slowly fading from his body—almost like coming down from an adrenaline rush.

"Yet, just like people, magic can also be good" he continued, running his right hand over his injured arm. He muttered something under his breath, so quiet that Mathias failed to make out any of it.

Immediately the tear in his arm began to mend, muscles fusing together and blood clearing until only a long, fleshy scar remained.

Once again panting, the weakened male leaned back in the chair and sighed. He waited a few more minutes for the feelings to completely fade and his icy heart to return.

"How did you find this place" he demanded quietly, not looking at his prisoner.

Frowning, Mathias kept his mouth tightly closed and simply glared at the sorcerer. Lukas glanced at him and sighed with a dull "very well."

Without so much as a glance, the smaller male exited the kitchen and retreated to his room.

"Wait, where the heck are you going?" Mathias shouted, ceasing his strain against the rope.

Lukas poked his head back into the room, face expressionless. "You refuse to speak about breaking into my home. I have better things to do than interrogate you" he replied, his voice giving away his exhaustion.

Lukas took another few moments to stare at the intruder before, again, retreating into the other room. He muttered another spell, placing an invisible security system around his home so he would know when Alfred was to arrive.

With his eyes closing, Lukas gave into his body's need for rest and fell asleep on his bed.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Alfred as lying on his back a few feet from Arthur, head pillowed by his arms; the two were simply relaxing at this point, entranced by the sunset colors painting the sky and illuminating the clouds.

Breaking the silence, Alfred turned to the ex-human and asked: "what's flying like, Artie?"

"It's a feeling that's hard to describe" Arthur explained after a slight pause, "Even after all this time, it still feels new and exciting. The land far below, the wind bending and twisting around you…and the views, Alfred. The views are breathtaking."

"Wow" the dragon's human companion breathed out, "I wish I could fly."

A laugh rumbled in Arthur's throat, "Would you like to take a ride with me?"

Alfred stared wide-eyed up at the black dragon before him whose pelt shimmered in the dim light.

"R-really?" the boy gasped in wonder, "You would do that for me?"

The large dragon dipped his head in something similar to a nod. "The feeling cannot be easily explained. Besides, why wonder exactly how it feels when you can experience it yourself?" He questioned, rising to stretch out his limbs.

Alfred let out a loud screech of excitement and leapt into the air, blue eyes lighting up like Christmas lights.

With another amused rumble, the majestic beast bent forward, instructing Alfred to climb onto his back and settle between his shoulder blades.

"This way you can hold onto my neck and I can easily feel if you slip" Arthur explained, extending his wings. "Be sure to hold on, Alfred, for I am about to show you the only good thing about being a dragon."

With a short roar, the ex-human launched himself into the air and began to beat his massive wings, climbing higher and higher into the twilight sky.

Air swirled around Alfred and he laughed with pure, unfiltered joy. It was a dream come true; soon enough the two were high above the rocky mountain ground and Arthur's wings leveled out. They were soaring.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

When Lukas was awoken, the sun had fully retired for the day. The enchanted alarm system he placed around his hut had been activated, signaling Alfred's arrival.

Groaning, the sorcerer stood and went to take care of his roped guest. Entering the kitchen, he found Mathias had precariously balanced the chair against Lukas' table; soft snores escaped the boy's mouth.

Lukas felt a strange desire tug at him—the desire to stare at the spiky-haired male; to touch him.

Blocking out the new, alien feeling, he quickly set to work dragging Mathias' chair towards his bedroom. While he made an attempt to not wake the male, Mathias' senses jerked him awake and triggered resistance.

"What the hell are you doing? Lemme go!" he spat, struggling against the ropes tiredly.

Grunting, Lukas' grip on the chair faltered and sent it crashing to the ground. Mathias' head hit the floor with a loud thud and was followed by a pained groan.

"That's what you get," Lukas muttered, picking up the chair again to resume the transport.

Mathias hissed softly as his head throbbed and ears rang. "Yeah, well, it's your fault witch! What do you think you're-"

"Quiet" the sorcerer ordered, finally reaching his bedroom. He deposited the chair next to his bed before walking around to face his prisoner.

"Don't tell me what to do, you stupid wi-"

"_Ikke snakk_" Lukas murmured, sealing the taller male's ability to talk. "Stay here and keep quiet" he then ordered, closing the door to his room.

Mathias opened his mouth to throw a retort before realizing the jerk had, once again, used magic. Left with no voice, the over-sized child pouted and stewed in his anger.

OoOoOoOoOo

Luck was on Lukas' side: Alfred entered his home just moments after taking care of Mathias. The traveler had sparkles in his bright blue eyes, and he couldn't wait to tell the sorcerer everything he and Arthur did.

Alfred had no idea of the secrets Lukas had hidden away.

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**Norwegian (big thank you to Ao-Namikaze!)**

**"Nei! Ikke rør deg!"- No! Don't move!  
****"Bind han"- Bind him**  
**"Ikke snakk"- Don't speak  
**

**So yeah. That short little fight scene caused me a lot of issues... kinda sad, right?**

**Anyway, thank you all so much for the follows, faves, and especially the reviews - they all mean a lot to me.  
I will try to find time to update again a little quicker than this time, but I shall make no promises. I have a lot of work and projects coming up that I really need to work on them before the procrastination can take hold... ahah...**

**Also, I just posted a little (er...long?) spamano one-shot _One Part Lonely, Two Parts Loved_ and, well... *shamelessly promotes* I would love some feedback from that, too.**

**Stay awesome, everyone!**

_**~Cheetay**_


	9. Chapter Eight

***Smoke and sparks and confetti explode from the ground* I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVah. Crap guys, how long has it been since I updated this thing? Before spring finals? Uuuuugh I am very sorry!**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter! If you're interested in hearing my excuses (ie. what's happened to me since-what was it, May? No, March?! Holy crap wow. Mierda.) feel free to continue reading beyond this point! If you just want to get to the story then scroll down to where the bold stops, yeah? Cool!**

**Min Excuse:**

**So, the first bit is obvious: I said I wouldn't update again until after finals were over in May. WELL. I got into Steven Universe right _after_ the first Steven Bomb. Thus, much time was spent juggling catching up with the show and studying/doing work. Then the second bomb in May happened, AND I also got a job at the end of May (at the zoo. I was so happy). The hours were only on the weekend, so I spent a lot of weekday time watching shows and catching up on Anime I'd been meaning to watch. This went on through June and into July. I did try to write more, I promise. I've had this chapter planned since mid-June but... Yeah, like I said, dat Anime. I fell hard into Fairy Tale and binge-watched that for a while (Like, all the first season in two or so weeks)...I'm trying to pace myself through the second season but I'm on about episode 60 so that's not going too well... ANYWAY. Then I fell back into Ace Attorney (played the first game, then started the third and jumped to the fourth one... then bought the fifth one when it was on sale in the E-shop... Klapollo took over my life for a bit, along with Gajevy...) and I started dabbling with ideas for Ace Attorney fics (I have like 5 started and planned. Help me) and my mind faded away from trying to work on this story. THEN school started and I was like "shoot" so I tried to work on this at the start of September but a bought of depression hit and I could barely focus on getting work done. Luckily this bought is towards its end and I was able to finish this chapter yesterday and today!**

**It's probably not my best work, but you guy's have been waiting long enough. Enjoy it and tell me what you think!**

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**_Chapter Eight: Accusations and Agreements_**

The blond woodsman watched as the sorcerer stoked a fire to life before placing a water-filled pot atop it.

"So, Alfred, tell me what you and Arthur did today" Lukas droned, moving with ease through his kitchen. He had a collection of vegetables and herbs cradled in his arms, preparing to make a simple soup.

"Well, um, A-A…um…" Alfred licked his lips in an attempt to rid his tongue of its numbness.

"Ah, right" Lukas grunted, "I put a spell on you. You should be able to tell me the tale without mentioning Arthur, boy."

Swallowing away his pout, Alfred nodded. "Right! Well, we talked for a long time after you had left. Ar-A..." he stopped, struggling with his words, "he told me about his childhood and such—how he discovered he could use magic, how he and you met… ya know, all really interesting stuff.

"But" Alfred continued, a grin lighting up his face, "He also told me what it was like after he became a dr-well, what he is now."

Getting better with avoiding the taboo words, Alfred rambled on: "The way he described everything was _incredible_, Lukas! What he sees through his eyes, how he feels in the air… also, how the monster feels inside of him, and when it takes over" his voice dropped to a more sullen tone.

For a few minutes, the only sounds were created by Lukas preparing the stock and cutting vegetables. The sorcerer felt no need to interrupt, especially since most of his thoughts were focused around the man trapped in his bedroom.

Breaking the silence at last, Alfred once again sounded cheerful and excited. "The best part, though, was when he took me into the sky. Lukas, I got to _fly_ with him."

That made Lukas stop and stare. _'Arthur did what? He brought the boy into the air with him?'_

"He let me sit on his back and we got to soar through the air" Alfred sighed dreamily, "It really was amazing. I loved it."

It took Lukas a few more moments to process the information before a small, smirking-smile appeared on this lips.

"You actually enjoy being around Arthur, don't you?" Lukas asked, his mind light and clear with a small tingle of hope.

The traveler looked confused for a moment, "well, yeah of course. He's a real interesting dude… I had been obsessing over the rumors for a while, too. And knowing they were true and getting to know him is… really nice" Alfred admitted, a grin lighting up his face slightly pink face.

"Well" Lukas hummed quietly, cutting up a small bundle of gnarly carrots before adding them to the boiling soup. "I see no harm in you going up to visit him when the fancy strikes you" he continues carefully, turning to lock eyes with the young man, "but, promise me this Alfred.

"When you do go to visit him, be cautious and do not approach if he does not seem himself."

"If he doesn't seem himself?" Alfred echoed, eyebrows creasing in confusion.

With a sigh, the sorcerer reminded the woodsman of the beast part of Arthur—the actual dragon. "If his eyes are dark and his teeth are bared, do not approach. Run and come to me; I will have to join you in travel up there to snap him out of the beast's hold."

"Oh" Alfred breathed, "Right, yeah. That seems easy enough" he grinned.

Giving a nod, Lukas turned to grab some salt-cured venison and began to cut it into small chunks. "I have already revised the spell around my house to lift when you are near" he explained, dropping the meat into the soup.

He gave it a few stirs before turning back to Alfred, "It is very important" he paused, ensuring the younger's attention was on him, "that you do not approach my house with anyone from the village. I do not wish for them to know where I live."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Arthur's body twitched once before going still. His mind faded into the calmness of sleep, knowing that the beast would likely take over his body.

He was surprised, however, when he awoke a few hours later in the same position. Arthur felt well-rested and could only assume, much to his confusion, that the beast had not taken over during his unconsciousness.

That hadn't happened in many decades; it baffled him.

His head light with joy, Arthur remained resting with his head on his forearms and allowed his mind to wander back to today's earlier events. The conversations with Alfred, the looks the boy's face would make as he listened to Arthur's tales.

A breath blew out through his nostrils in a quiet sigh. These feelings stirring through his body and mind were not unfamiliar; they were like lost friends from long ago.

Arthur had dated many times as a teenager, both before and after he became cursed. He remembers the fluttering gut, the light and airy chest, and the pleasant tingles that ran down the spine.

Yet, he could not peg whether he was attracted to Alfred or simply mistaking the infatuation for the joy that came from someone other than Lukas visiting him. For someone new to talk to, tell stories to, to open up to and share experiences and feelings with.

Arthur stretched out his massive wings with the intention to sunbathe in the remaining evening warmth. His stomach tightened slightly – whether in hunger or anticipation he did not know.

The transformed human decided to rest while he could and simply wait for Alfred's next visit.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

About an hour later Lukas had bid Alfred farewell and wished him a safe trip back to the village. Biding for time, the sorcerer set about washing the wooden, heat-cured bowls and spoons he and Alfred had used for their meal.

Covering up the still hot soup, he finally made his way to his bedroom and pushed open the door, revealing his tied-up prisoner.

Lukas studied Mathias for a moment; the other blond's lips were twisted in an angry scowl, his limbs still secured to the borrowed kitchen chair via magic. They stared at one another for many minutes, neither saying a word.

Mathias' eyes were narrowed in a vicious glare and his knuckles were blanched white from his tightly fisted hands. Lukas, in comparison, had a dull, almost bored expression with guarded eyes and a cautious stance.

Finally, after a soft snort, the villager heard Lukas murmur more words under his breath, those intense blue, almost purple eyes focused on the ropes binding Mathias.

All at once the ropes began to unwind themselves, confusing the blue-eyed blond. Was the sorcerer setting him free? Was he really that stupid?

However, as he soon found out, that was not the case. The magic user was highly intellectual and knew exactly what he was doing.

All the ropes fell from his body except one, which wrapped itself securely around his left ankle.

With a few more utterances under his breath, Lukas grew silent once more and surveyed his bedroom from his spot in the doorway.

Mathias, on the other hand, drew his gaze away from his captor and looked down as his foot, following the rope to where it was tied –solidly–around the bed's frame.

"What t-"Mathias paused, eyes widening at his ability to speak. The sorcerer must have negated his earlier spell, returning his speech.

Lukas said nothing, watching him with icy, unreadable eyes. For a few more moments the two simply stared at one another. The rage slowly faded from Mathias' eyes and was replaced by guarded curiosity.

At last the sorcerer broke the silence. "Are you now willing to answer my question?" he droned, head tilting slightly to the right.

Mathias blinked, thinking for a moment before scowling. "I've grown up in these woods" he grunted at last, "I knew ya had to be hiding somewhere, but I never figured out where. Then, a few days ago, it was suddenly here" he confessed, breaking eye contact to glance at the ceiling.

Lukas' mouth opened but no noise came out. His mind raced back to when he had exited his house in a hurry; the day Alfred snuck out to investigate the mountain and ran into Arthur for the first time. The door must have never shut, and thus the spell that hid his hut wasn't activated.

Mathias looked back at him and a small smirk curled on his mouth. "I marked the tree so I could find it again" he leaned forward in the chair, a cruel grin twisting his lips, "I had planned on sneaking in to finally take care of you, but plans had to change."

"You followed Alfred and I" Lukas stated, eyes narrowing thoughtfully, "you got scared and fled. But, instead of reporting it to your village, you entered my house again and laid in wait.

"You think Arthur is my weapon" he grunted, taking a few slow steps towards Mathias.

"You're evil" the spiky blond snarled, face contorting further as rage returned, "You sent Alfred to the village to spy or something, and you're going to use that, that dragon" he spat, "to destroy the village—my family."

A short, quiet chortle escaped the sorcerer's lips, surprising them both. Lukas' eyes widened and red began to color his neck. Mathias narrowed his eyes in both contempt and confusion as the shorter man stumbled backwards and gripped the doorframe like it was a lifeline.

Emotions swirled through his mind, unfamiliar and intrusive. Fear spiked in his gut and his heart rate elevated. Lukas felt sick. He was feeling far too much far too quickly; it was like a dam broke inside him and flooded him with things he thought had disappeared from his body.

His breath hitched painfully and his legs were trembling so much he was forced to sink to the ground, curling in a tight and protective ball. All the while, Mathias went from confused, to concerned, back to confused, then angry, and finally ended with complete bewilderment.

"What the hell are you doing, witch?!" he finally yelled, eyes glued to the trembling man pressed against the doorframe.

"_Cor glacies pro adiutor_" Lukas whispered coarsely, repeating it quietly over and over. "I'm not supposed to feel" he rasped, lifting his head to meet Mathias' eyes, "I don't know what's going on."

Mathias frowned, straightening his legs and standing for the first time in hours. He ignored the stiffness and stared down at Lukas, snarling "The fuck does that mean?"

Lukas flinched; no matter how hard he tried he could not pull himself back together. He decided to ignore the other's outburst and closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing and attempting to calm his chaotic, unfamiliar mind swimming with emotions.

He had managed to rein back his fear and calm his shaking body when a pillow hit him square in the head, jolting him out of his concentration.

Mathias was perched on the bed, second pillow resting by his feet.

"Don't ignore me" he demanded, baring his teeth slightly. "Explain yourself, witch, or-"

"You" Lukas breathed, panting lightly as he continued to calm from his hyperventilating, "are in no position to threaten me, villager."

His words had no bite to them and his mask was cracked: confusion, worry, curiosity, impatience, and a small remnant of fear lingered on his face and painted his eyes. His muscles were tense and ridged.

Mathias studied him for a few moments before sighing. However, he said nothing and allowed his eyes to wander quietly around the room, giving the sorcerer time to collect himself.

_'Why am I feeling sorry for him?'_ the blond on the bed thought, staring at what he assumed was a closet. _'He reminds me a bit of a kicked puppy right now, is that why? Or is it something else?'_ Mathias glanced back at the sorcerer, frowning, _'Where did my anger go?'_

Lukas finally calmed himself and took a deep breath, standing back up before walking out of the room.

Mathias' confusion lasted mere seconds before the shorter man returned, holding a steaming bowl of soup. He approached the bed, trying to seem bland and disinterested, but his tense and guarded stance gave him away. Lukas set the bowl on the abandoned chair before retreating back to the doorframe and out of the rope's reach.

He snorted softly as Mathias eyed the offering carefully. "If I wished to kill you, I would have done it long ago" Lukas muttered, the corners of his lips twitched upward slightly, "Poison isn't my style."

After a few more moments of hesitation, the spiky-haired blond practically inhaled the food, licking his lips and wiping his face on his shirt sleeve once finished.

"I've no intent to harm you" Lukas explained, taking a few steps towards the bed, "However, seeing as you know where my hut is, I cannot simply allow you to leave and return to your village.

"Therefore" Lukas continued, eyes darkening, "You will remain trapped here until I deem you trustworthy, or decide I have to kill you."

* * *

**Soooo yeah. Lemme know what you think! I loved how many people read, faved, and followed this during the summer, but, I would have probably been more inspired to work on this had I gotten more reviews. I love hearing what you guys think, as well as hearing constructive criticism.**

**As for the** _Cor glacies pro adiutor _**that is supposed to be coherent Latin (though it's probably not) meaning "a heart of ice for the helper." Next chapter will go more in depth with this, and mainly focus on Mathias and Lukas.**

**...I promise not to disappear for 5 months this time. Classes are pretty chill and fun; then again, I will be taking time to further indulge my Ace Attorney addiction and work on the fics I have planned for that fandom, as well. (Pluus Steven Universe...if any of you guys watch it, the last episode almost killed me). Also apparently there is a lot of Hetalia anime that I have missed, so I must find time to eventually watch those... along with Toky-okay no. I'm not gonna rant about this. **

**Haha, farewell! See you all next time!**

_**~Cheetay**_


	10. Chapter Nine

**Hi again! Look, I come baring a gift! This chapter was fairly easy to write, as I knew what I wanted to happen in it, so yeah!  
**

**Future updates will be spurattic, but I promise not to disappear for more than a month this time! I've been getting in to anime again and have a loooot I am watching, rewatching, and obsessing over (this includes Hetalia; I have a lot to catch up on wow). School's pretty chill and I have plenty of time to balance everything.**

**Thank you to all who reviewed last chapter (and the few new readers that followed/faved!). **

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

_**Chapter Nine: Disgruntled Explanations**_

Rage exploded within Mathias, "What the hell do you mean by that?!" He roared, jumping to his feet.

Lukas blinked slowly, entering Mathias' range in an unspoken challenge. "I cannot allow you to leave and risk you spilling my secrets to the village."

"That's bulls-"

"In return" Lukas interrupted, stepping even closer. His heart fluttered within its boney cage, and the sorcerer tried his best to ignore it. "I will tell you anything you desire to know. About myself, about Arthur—the dragon—or anything else you may wish to know."

They were about a foot away from one another now, Mathias glaring down and Lukas staring with his head tilted up.

_'I could grab him right now'_ Mathias thought, lip curling in the beginnings of a snarl.

_'There's no guarantee you could escape the ropes, though. Do magic spells fade when the witch dies?'_ His mind countered.

_'I could grab his throat and threaten him until he releases me, then kill him'_ came his response.

_'Or you could play along, learn what you can, and wait for an opportunity to destroy him'_ his conscious shot back.

The tall blond narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, studying the sorcerer with the masked face and beautiful eyes.

"Very well" he growled, holding out his hand, "I'll make that deal with you, witch."

Lukas snorted, ignoring the outstretched hand. "I am not a witch, boy" he scoffed, "witches work with potions and poisons and medicine. Their powers allow them to create and infuse magic within consumable brews. I" he stresses, wrinkling his nose slightly, "am a sorcerer. I am able to infuse my magic within words to create spells; to control things and force my will upon them." He finished, finally taking the hand.

His stomach fluttered and his mind sent a spark of mistrust down his spine, but he ignored both and waited for Mathias to make the next move.

He stared, almost dumbfounded, at their connected hands a few moments before shaking them up and down once before retreating.

"Fine. Sorcerer." He grunted, "And don't call me _boy_" he spat, "I'm far larger than you."

"Physically, yes, you are larger and older" Lukas conceded, "I am, however, far older and more mentally advanced than you."

With a sour scowl on his face, Mathias flopped back onto the bed and stared at the sorcerer, trying to hold onto the fleeting feelings of anger and aggression.

"It is late" Lukas stated, collecting the empty bowl, "Unless there is something you wish to know, I will take my leave."

Mathias tensed, a question jumping up his throat, but he swallowed it down and stayed silent. He would brood and think for the night, not gossip with a sorcerer-_'witch'_ his mind hissed-about his curiosity.

Lukas hovered in the doorway a moment before exiting, shutting the bedroom door behind him.

Mathias was alone, even though he desperately did not wish to be. Instead of letting his thoughts consume him, the spiky-blond stood up and began to examine whatever amount of the room he could reach.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Lukas inspected the blade in his hand for what felt like the hundredth time, his eyes trailing over it but not truly registering it. No, his mind was more focused on the fact that he was _feeling_ and had been for most of the morning.

Emotions that he hadn't felt in centuries were swirling and worming and crawling all throughout his body: fear, annoyance, anger, curiosity, sadness, joy, confusion…and many others Lukas could not quite remember.

His heart was no longer icy; his mask had crumbled long ago and he felt cold. Exposed. Lost.

_'How did I deal with this the first few years of life?'_ he questioned, setting the sword down to cradle his head in his hands. He grasped at his hair and fisted his hands within it. It was soft; it comforted him and dampened the chaos flowing within his body.

"Did that boy cause this?" he whispered to himself, staring at his reflection in the sharpened metal. Painfully expressive eyes stared back at him, as if in a silent challenge.

"_Curarentur cum amore verus_" he murmured, removing one hand from his hair to rest it above his heart. "'_Healed with true love…'"_

"Am… does this mean I'm _in love_ with that man?" he rasped, a large amount of fear coursing through his body, making him feel nauseous. "The man who made a sport of harassing and attacking me these past few years?"

Lukas' eyes shifted to the closed bedroom door, his body began to tremble and he felt dread rise like bile in his throat.

It couldn't be true. Yet, in the back of his mind, he knew it was. He had somehow fallen in love with his tormenter and, thus, his cursed heart was beginning to melt. His dam was cracking, allowing long forgotten emotions to flow through him once again.

_'Will the spell break by simply me being in love with him?'_ Lukas thought, frowning, _'Or does it have to be a mutual feeling that's acted upon?'_

"Knowing our mentor" he hissed, picturing the old sorceress in his mind, "It would not be as easy as it simply being one sided."

His mind then jumped to Arthur and Alfred. Was Alfred infatuated with Dragon Arthur, or Arthur himself?

Lukas returned his gaze to the polished, enchanted sword. "If I can make Alfred and Arthur fall in love…" he trailed off, running his fingers delicately along the blade, "Then I can break the dragon's spell and the curse, all at once."

His lips twitched into a soft smile. Yes, he would focus is attention on saving Arthur instead of the man imprisoned in his bedroom.

_'But, how can I push Alfred and Arthur into truly falling for one another?'_

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Mathias was lying on the bed, staring up blankly at the polished wooden ceiling. His mind was virtually empty, the only thought meandering through was about how bored he was; how much he desired some kind of stimulation.

He was used to being around many people and interacting with them on a daily basis.

It's been two days since he entered the sorcerer's—_'witch's'_ his mind injects with practiced ease—house and became trapped. Tied to a bed with nothing but his mind to occupy him.

Mathias spent most of the first day exploring the room, finding nothing more than objects one expected to find in a bedroom. Nothing magical or dangerous. Well, nothing within his reach at least. There was one corner of the room that his bondage would not allow him near.

Speaking of the ropes, they baffled Mathias at first and he spent the better of three hours trying to figure out the enchanted braid of thread.

The rope stayed taunt and the same length as long as he remained on the left side of the room; opposite of the doorway. If he ventured onto the right side of the room they shrunk at least a foot, keeping him well away from the door and that mysterious corner.

However, as he found out when his bladder was close to bursting, the ropes would expand many feet and allow him to completely enter the small, closet-sized bathroom across from the entryway.

Mathias spent a few more hours trying to trick the ropes; he made like he was going to the bathroom and, once the ropes expanded, he lunged towards the suspicious corner.

Almost at once, though, the ropes would constrict and stop him just short of being able to reach the dresser and barrel in that corner. No matter how fast he was or how much power he put into his legs, the rope always stopped him.

It was infuriating yet intriguing.

Nevertheless, here he was two days in, completely bored and out of things to explore. Lukas had entered the room once since the first night, bringing Mathias a pouch of dried meat, bag of dried fruit, and a small basket of fresh fruit. He parted with a dull "Call if you need anything" before exiting and not once reentering.

With a defeated groan, he opened his mouth and let out a grumpy shout of: "Oy, sorcerer!"

It took Lukas about five minutes to finally nudge open the door, the mask carefully reconstructed over his face gave him an icy air of indifference.

"I'm bored as hell" Mathias huffed, almost childishly.

"And what, exactly, do you expect me to do about that?" Lukas slowly drawled, eyes giving away only exhaustion.

Mathias didn't say anything, simply staring in silence at the smaller man. Studying him, almost. Leaning against the doorway, Lukas crossed his arms and tilted his head down—almost drowsily.

"How old are you."

Lukas blinked, lifting his head to look at the man who finally broke the long, uncomfortable silence. "Pardon?"

Mathias scowled, rolling his eyes, "How old are you. Like, actually and physically."

"Ah" Lukas grunted, looking around and stopping to stare at the empty fruit basket. "I was a few months shy of nineteen when I was cursed" he glanced up to meet Mathias' eyes, "which occurred nearly five hundred years ago."

"So, are you like, immortal or something?" Mathias asked, shifting to lie on his side to better face the sorcerer.

Lukas sighed, running his fingers briefly through his hair. _'I told him I would answer any question he had. I suppose this counts'_ he mused, the corner of his lip twitching into a tiny smirk.

"Or something" he replied, shifting to lean on the opposite side of the doorframe, "I was cursed by an angry sorceress; causing what I suppose you could call immortality.

"I can only assume this, but once the curse gets lifted the immortality will too. So, in a sense, I am not completely immortal. Only temporarily" Lukas concluded.

"How did it happen?" Mathias asked, keeping his eyes trained on the wall beyond the sorcerer.

"Arthur and I did something stupid, and had to face the consequences" Lukas stated with a shrug, "our teacher found out what we had done and punished us for lying about it."

He paused, closing his eyes. "_Cor glacies pro adiutor, cor ignis pro mendax. Curarentur cum amore verus_" he repeated; the curse forever imprinted onto his mind.

"What?" Mathias grunted, sitting up to look at the apprehensive sorcerer.

"That was her spell" Lukas murmured, voice soft and remorseful. "'_A heart of ice for the helper, a heart of fire for the liar.'_…" he trailed off, throat drying out and keeping him from translating the last bit.

Lukas placed his hand over his heart again, almost forgetting of the other's presence, "Art stole an advanced spell book from our teacher" he whispered, almost too quietly to hear. Mathias had to strain his ears and fight the urge to shift closer.

"We tried a spell and ended up setting fire to a forest…" he let out a shaky sigh, "We should have told her, but we tried to hide our mistake. Arthur lied to her, and I tried to back him up."

Silent fell between the two and spread throughout the room. Mathias was slowly processing the new information in his head, matching and rearranging his past theories and knowledge to wrap around the new facts. Lukas stared at the other male through his bangs, studying him cautiously and silently.

"That seems like a pretty shitty consequence" Mathias finally huffed, avoiding the sorcerer's eyes. He could feel them, piercing and calculating, making him feel vulnerable and subdued.

After only receiving a soft grunt, the nineteen year old finally shifted to look at Lukas, "I mean…"

"I am not sure" Lukas interrupted, something flashing quickly through his eyes, "that you understand. This was a very long time ago. Many things have changed in five hundred years; the prevalence of magic, culture, longevity, and the desires humanity holds.

"I was considered an adult, back then. One who should have known better than to lie to our teacher—a woman who was kind enough to choose Arthur and I, out of many others, to teach magic to. It was a fair consequence, given the time." Lukas explained.

Mathias nodded as the short lecture concluded, conceding with a "fair enough."

Once again, a pregnant pause expanded through the room.

"I have a few more questions" Mathias stated after a while, gaze hardening into a slight glare. "Is Alfred a threat to village, and, is your friend Arthur truly that…beast, on the mountain."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Alfred hummed quietly as he slipped through a stretch of pine forest. The spongy needles softened his footfalls and accented the spring in his step.

It had been a few days since he had last seen Arthur, and he was excited to finally have the free time to visit him again. He had been working hard in the village, socializing and what-not.

However, seeing as the village's attention had turned from curiosity towards him to worry towards the missing Mathias, Alfred used it as an excuse to visit Arthur. And, of course, keep an eye out for the missing blond.

* * *

**There ya have it, more Dennor interactions and a promise of what's to come next chapter. Well... maybe not an exact promise. I have plans for next chapter, bahaha.  
**

**The curse is in Latin, and is probably incorrect but... I only took a year of it in high school and not many people are fluent in it now-a-days. I checked and double checked on google translate to get the three phrases/parts used in the curse. Yeah.**

**I'm gonna awkwardly run off to my orgo class. Bye! Review and let me know what you thought; including any mistakes I might have missed!**

_**~Cheetay**_


	11. Chapter Ten

**So uh... Did I say within a month? Did I also say that I wouldn't go five months without updating? Hehe, oops.**

**School got busy, lots of good Anime was out, Fire Emblem Fates came out, etc. etc. whatever those excuses don't matter. What matters is that I finished this chapter over a month ago and am just now posting it-sorry!**

**I have no knowledge about the history of language. Enjoy!**

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_**Chapter Ten: A Tear in Time**_

Arthur's eyes trembled beneath his eyelids, his mind filled with memories from the past. Memories of his and Lukas' teacher and of their time with her.

Her eyes had been the color of a cold ocean: clear, dark, and accented like cracked ice. Having those eyes focus on him always sent tremors of fear through his entire body. It took Arthur many weeks to become comfortable around the sorceress.

_"So, Lukas. How goes your language studying?"_

_Arthur flinched before glancing over at his friend. Their teacher was leaning over his shoulder, forearms resting on the base of Lukas' neck._

_"_God_" he droned blandly before being pressed down towards the table._

_A dark aura surrounded the sorceress as she pinned down Lukas' shoulders, causing the teen to bend painfully. Her eyes flashed to Arthur._

_"Arth, what did Lukas just do incorrectly?" she asked, her voice soft and honeyed._

_"U-uh, h-h-he" he paused, taking a calming breath, "He u-used his spell language without actually… w-well, spelling."_

_Her lips pulled in a brilliant grin, "Correct!" Releasing the pressure on her prisoner, she leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Why is that bad, Lukas?"_

_There was an annoyed mumble before he grunted, "It can make it more difficult to inject my magic into the words later on…"_

_"And?"_

_"Or I could accidentally spell without meaning to-"_

_"And you wouldn't want either of those to happen, right?" she purred, finally distancing herself from her charge._

_"No, both situations would be undesirable" Lukas muttered, rolling his shoulders in a quick stretch._

Arthur's great body twitched and trembled as he dreamt. A low growl sounded from his jaws and gradually deepened, growing feral and coarse.

_They were both walking through a lush forest, Lukas leading while Arthur followed close behind. The wind was cool and the air was crisp and warm; a perfect day to explore._

_"You're sure that Teacher is fine with this, right Luke?" Arthur asked, throat drying at the thought of getting in trouble for leaving without permission._

_"She said she'd be in town all day and to make sure we got our work done" came the reply, as Lukas turned back to grin at him. "Relax, Art. We completed all our chores and will study when we return. The day is just too beautiful to not enjoy," he stretched out his hand, "Come on."_

_Arthur returned the grin, albeit hesitantly, before grabbing the extended hand, "Alright, let us enjoy the day."_

_"Anywhere specific?"_

_"That lake; let us see if we might find it again" Arthur replied, running to overtake and ultimately drag Lukas forward, both laughing._

The noise of someone coming up the mountainside stirred Arthur from his sleep, though he couldn't get his body to move. When he forced his eyes open, all that greeted him was darkness.

_'Oh no' _he thought as a shudder went through their massive body.

The scuffling of feet grew louder, and a distant "Hey, Art!" could be heard.

_'No. No no no, please don't'_ he begged, sight blurring as the stranger climbed closer and closer to his perch. His powerful legs twitched and his wings trembled—they wanted to move. They wanted to pounce and destroy the intruder.

_'Run… Alfred please, run…'_

Arthur could not move his mouth to form the plea; he had lost control over his muscles and his vision was slowly fading. Darkness encroached on his vision until he was detached from it.

Until the monster took over, allowing Arthur a front-row seat to the coming storm.

He felt a flash of amused contempt flash across his mind—an overtone of the dragon's thoughts. The beast's body shifted and its jaws opened in a bellowing roar…

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Lukas stared at Mathias for a long time, eyes fluctuating between icy cold and painfully glossed over.

In return, Mathias stared back, his mind wandering between plotting to escape and a desire to obtain more information from the sorcerer.

"No" Lukas finally grunted, closing his eyes. "Arthur himself is no threat, and" he paused, fixing Mathias with a "don't interrupt" glare, "I would never allow the dragon to get far enough to attack the village."

"…how would you stop it, then, oh mighty witch" Mathias snarled, suddenly feeling defensive at the sorcerer's lax attitude towards his village, "If it were to attack."

Lukas' eyes flashed with annoyance before glazing over stoically once again, "My magic is powerful, child" he bit out, "I could easily ground the dragon and drag Arthur back to the forefront."

"And if you couldn't?" Mathias challenged.

They locked eyes once again: troubled light blue and agitated dark blue. "Then" he replied, voice soft and tight, "I would kill the dragon."

The prisoner was shocked into silence, analyzing what the sorcerer had said. _'He would go so far as to kill his best friend to protect the village?'_ he pondered, narrowing his eyes. _'Would I be able to do that?'_

A long pause fell across them, lasting nearly twenty minutes before Mathias cleared his throat and continued his direct line of questioning:

"So… the words you speak, when you cast spells or whatever. They're not in English*"

The sorcerer gave a quiet hum, not looking at the villager; "It's an older language, one that used to be spoken around here before English grew dominant and it faded away" he explained, not knowing how else to describe it. "It was still a relatively common language, back before I was cursed" he added, face twitching into an awkward grimace.

"So, when Arthur was human, did he use it too?" the younger man murmured quietly, head tilting as if he was trying to answer it by himself.

"Arthur used another language" Lukas stated with a slight shake of his head.

"How come?"

The magic user sighed, frowning slightly at the never-ending conversation. "Well," he began, "the first thing a sorcerer, or sorceress, does when they learn magic is acquaint themselves with some of the land's languages—be them common, fading, or ancient. It depends on who their teacher is, and what material is available for them"

"Arthur and my teacher, one of the best in the land at the time, had a large collection of language tomes-"

"How many languages even are there?" Mathias interrupted, looking slightly dazed. Lukas paused to fix him with a pointed look.

"Too many to count" he replied tersely, "Anyway, I decided to focus on Norwegian whilst Arthur took interest in Latin. Once a young mage chooses a language, they can then focus on injecting their magic into the words in order to craft spells."

"Why can't you use the regular language?" He countered, rolling his shoulders in a half-assed stretch.

Lukas clicked his tongue, "While experienced sorcerers can manage that, there is a risk of inexperienced ones injecting magic into their words when they do not mean to. In order to lessen that risk, all sorcerers choose a second language when learning magic."

"So, if you wanted to, you could cast spells in English?"

Again Lukas paused, mind racing to keep up with all the socializing. "Yes and no. While I am a relatively experienced sorcerer, there is always a risk. It feels uncomfortable injecting magic into my normal language. If I were to try, there is a large risk that I would make a mistake."

"What kind of mistake?" Mathias pressed, settling onto his stomach with a pillow hugged between his arms.

"If I use too much magic, then the result may be more extreme than I desire,"

"Like?"

The sorcerer let out a small huff of annoyance, "Well, say I were to spell the bed to raise three feet in the air" he gave Mathias a slight glare, daring him to interrupt again. "If I were to use English and inject too much magic into my words, then the bed may shoot through the ceiling instead of simply hovering.

"If I use too little magic, then the bed will float but quickly come smashing back down. Depending on the height it got to, that could cause a multitude of different damages" he finished, swallowing and noting how dry his throat had become from overuse. He hadn't talked this much in centuries.

"Okay. So, what was the normal language when you were young?" Mathias asked, without missing a beat.

Lukas faltered for a moment, still very unused to this level of conversation—ones whose duration had lasted well over an hour. His heart fluttered lightly in his chest, though he could not stop to ponder why.

"An older, rougher variation of English mixed with a Germanic language" was his reply as he shifted in the doorway, only just realizing his stiff his legs had become. After a moment's hesitation, the magic user walked over to the bed and perched gently on the edge, as far away from Mathias as the furniture allowed.

Mathias seemed more amused than surprised at his action, and simply nodded. It was impossible for Lukas to know what was going on in the boy's head, but he found himself not caring.

He found himself…trusting, the villager. At least somewhat.

The silence stretched between them for at least a minute, maybe more, before Mathias went to break it with another question.

OoOoOoOoOo

Hours later, Mathias was in the middle of telling a story of one of his past hunting trips.

"So there I was, with no idea where either Gilbert or Berwald were, staring down this 8 or 9 foot bear at the edge of the river" he explained, arms stretching above his head as if to demonstrate the creature's size before returning to animating his story.

"So I puffed out my chest and screamed at it until it—"

He was suddenly interrupted as the front door slammed open. Lukas' head snapped towards the noise, breaking eye contact with the other man and missing the way his face scrunched in annoyance and surprise. Someone could be heard stumbling about before heavily landing on the floor with a dense thud.

The noise was followed with a low, painful groan and a soft "Lukas" that was barely heard by the pair in the bedroom. The coppery scent of blood wafted into the room.

The sorcerer was on his feet and out the door before Mathias could say a word. Slowly he stood to his feet and followed the best he could, still conscious of his bondage.

Straining until he was able to stick his head through the doorway, shock ricocheted through his body at the presenting sight:

Lukas' arms were around Alfred – the best he could with the size difference, at least – and was dragging him slowly towards the bedroom. Alfred's left arm hung limply at his side, torn and bleeding heavily. He was also sporting three long, deep tears along his torso, a swollen eye, and a crooked looking leg. The worst injury seemed to be the gashes along his chest and stomach; dark crimson bubbled out of the middle one with each gasp of air he took.

The sorcerer's eyes met Mathias' before he commanded "Pull the sheets back off the bed. Underneath the bed there should be a thick tarp; spread that over top of it."

Mathias hesitated a moment, still stuck on the condition of the traveler.

"_Now!_" Lukas spat, a foot from the doorway.

With a dazed nod, the villager allowed himself to follow the directions numbly, spreading the tarp carefully over the bed.

"Help me lift him onto it" Lukas huffed, out of breath. "Please" he added, once again meeting Mathias' eyes.

Together they positioned Alfred onto the bed, and Lukas made quick work of gently cutting the traveler's clothes away from his injuries.

"There's a first aid kit in the kitchen" Lukas mumbled, concentrating on his knife-work.

Mathias stood and took a step before stopping, looking down at the rope secured about his foot. "Um…"

"_Slipp_" Lukas mumbled, flicking his eyes briefly towards the ropes. He didn't pause to determine whether the idea was a good one or not, focused too much on taking inventory of Alfred's several wounds.

Suddenly Mathias found himself free, after days of captivity, and two thoughts quickly flashed through his mind.

* * *

**Any ideas what those two thoughts in Danmark's head are? Hehe.  
**

**So I took some time to reread this fic and _yikes _do I need to go back and edit everything. So, along with working on the next chapter, I'm going to sloowly go back and revise previous chapters. The story line won't change, I just really need to fix some grammar and slight plot-holes. **

_**Slipp**_** is a command-like way to say "let go" or "release" (thanks Ao-Namikaze!)  
*Explanation of the language thing: I have no idea where this story takes place, so I'll leave that to your imaginations. English is the dominant language (it's taking over the world help) though it's changed a bit since Lukas and Arthur were human... Yeah. I really don't know haha  
**

**Lemme know if there are any mistakes! Oh, and tell me if you read the title as _tea_r or _t_e_ar_ :p both could work for this chapter ahaha.**

_**~Cheetay**_


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